The planned announcement of the Boston After School for All Partnership represents a major investment into the field of afterschool education, and for Harvard, a continuation of a recent push toward collaboration with its surrounding community.

Harvard administrators and faculty say the move will allow the University to make a significant impact in an area related to its academic mission, while also gaining a real-world laboratory for testing educational theory and research.

And on the city end, officials say the investment of money and resources will provide a much-needed boost to a pressing problem.

Through the partnership between Harvard, the city of Boston and several private and non-profit companies, a total of $23 million will be provided over the next five years toward expanding the scope of city afterschool programs.

Those who have worked to create the partnership say improving afterschool education is critically important to Boston communities. They point to the opportunity of offering alternatives to children at risk of juvenile crime, substance abuse and early sexual activity during the large periods of time they spend outside of the classroom.

"That's the time when a lot of things go wrong. It's usually time not well spent," said Elizabeth Sloane, an outside consultant who helped the University craft its own Harvard After School Initiative--a component of the larger partnership.

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino has made expanding city afterschool programming a significant part of his agenda. The city created the Boston 2:00-to-6:00 After-School Initiative in 1998 to help reach that goal.

"We know the young people who go to afterschool programs have higher grades, form better peer relationships and have better conduct in school," Menino said.