The Expanded Learning Academy (ELA), founded in 2016 by Ronald Robinson, is an educational organization that specializes in fortifying enrichment for youth within the Pre-K to 12th grade, in after-school programs across the nation. Based in Irvine, the program operates as an umbrella of an array of services such as consulting, studio services, and even a sector of their program known as the Expanded Learning University for teachers.
Founder and CEO Ronald Robinson spoke to Our Weekly and shared that well before the Academy was founded, during his time as a youth in K-12 schooling, he realized he wasn’t the type of student that felt connected to traditional education. He found that activities he participated in after school, such as martial arts, helped develop the passion that he has today for helping youth. Martial arts was a rite of passage in his family, as they founded Robinon’s Taekwondo in 1975 and currently have 10 locations across California. It motivated him to create ELA.
“[In my life], I was introduced to this world of service through learning about my untapped skills and talents in working and communicating with students and families. I didn’t know I had it until I exercised it. The affirmations and reflections given to me made me realize my gift, and I’ve been stuck ever since, through my introduction to martial arts.”
According to a statement on ELA’s website, the organization “incorporates the latest in educational standards and best practices into each program design, including those provided by the California Department of Education, CASEL, California After School Network, and the National Afterschool Association. We work with school districts to build programs that meet their LCAP (Local Control and Accountability Plan) priorities and expected school-wide learner outcomes.”
He hopes the Expanded Learning Academy has a positive effect on the youth, and most importantly, they one day give back. “We have students who [once they finish our program] come back and work with us. They are now employees, and to me, that is a huge deal! There is no greater honor than that because they want to come back and create the experience they had for someone else.”
Jenna Boyd, a consultant for Expanded Learning Academy, coaches and mentors all of the staff and directors of the academy’s after-school programs. Her goal is to keep staff members on track with their goals on what they’d like to achieve for their programs, as she was once a second-grade teacher.
“The kids want to come back after they graduate and volunteer; that is the biggest outcome I am always looking for. It’s the fact that the kids say it is the best part of their day. Once they turn 18, they become our staff members. In most organizations staffing can be hard to find, but not for ELA, because their training basically starts in the 7th grade.”
She continued, “I have a tried and true system. We are in our 9th year of [seeing] students become staff members’ and I think that is the biggest gauge of outcome for any afterschool program.”
According to the Institute of Education Sciences, education experts estimated that “13 percent of students participated in academically after-school programs in 2024-25, federal data show.” 85 percent of public schools in the U.S. offered after school programs last year but 60 percent offered academically focused after school programs, a decrease from 2023-24’s data of 64 percent. Various issues contribute to the decrease such as a lack of funding to hire staff, a lack of summer programming, and some schools not being able to find enough staff to maintain programming.
Dr. Crystal Robinson is the director of talent development and learning for the Expanded Learning University (ELU), a partner to ELA. ELU teaches professional development to teachers and meets the standards of each state and school district it is in. They specialize in the professional educators and all individuals involved in ELA’s before, during, and after-school programs.
“Each time I teach a course, participants are excited and hungry for the learning; they appreciate the practical approach and the strategies that they can use that align to what they do in their role. As professionals, we sometimes feel as if we cannot admit what we don’t know how to do or lack confidence in doing in our role. The micro-credentials build their competence, which increases their confidence and likelihood that they will change their practice.”
She added, “I tell the story that when I first became a manager, I was promoted and never received any training. Unfortunately, this is still the case across sectors. We need to change that! It should not be that we are ‘thrown in the fire’ or receive ‘on-the-job training.’ There are some benefits to that, but if organizations want to retain top talent and reduce turnover and burnout, they must prepare their workforce with opportunities to build and strengthen the skills they need to be successful in their role. This is the mission of ELU.”