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Improving School Attendance and Academic Performance: The Role of Multiyear Participation in After School Programs (Connecticut)
Year Published: 2019
The Center for Applied Research in Human Development at the University of Connecticut and the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) jointly conducted a study of Connecticut’s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) afterschool programs that looked at students enrolled in the program between 2013 and 2017 and the impact of attendance on academics and school day attendance. The study found that students participating in Connecticut’s 21st CCLC programs for multiple years had significantly higher school day attendance rates and performed better on Connecticut's standardized math and language arts tests when compared to their peers who participated for only one year.
Program Name: Connecticut 21st Century Community Learning Centers
Program Description:
Connecticut’s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) program, which receives federal funding through the 21st CCLC initiative, provides academic enrichment opportunities for children at high-poverty and low-performing schools.
Scope of the Evaluation: Statewide
Program Type: Afterschool
Location: Connecticut
Grade level: Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Program Demographics:
During the 2016-17 school year, the last year that data was collected for the study, 83 percent of study participants were eligible for free or reduced price lunch and 10 percent were enrolled in special education services. Just under half (49 percent) of participants’ primary language was something other than English. Regarding race and ethnicity, 46 percent identified as Hispanic, 33 percent identified as African American, 14 percent identified as Caucasian, 2 percent identified as Asian Pacific, and 6 percent identified as “other.”
Evaluator: Dealy, J., Russell, B. S., Hutchison, M., Pons, S., & Laborious, B. Center for Applied Research in Human Development, University of Connecticut; Capitol Region Education Council.
Evaluation Methods:
Data for this study—which included Connecticut standardized test scores, disciplinary infractions, 21st CCLC program and school day attendance rates, and the number of years enrolled in a 21st CCLC program—were based on annual site surveys completed by program coordinators, state Department of Education records, and a program utilization and participant tracking database. ANOVA testing were conducted to determine the ways in which years attending 21st CCLC programs affected students’ average school day attendance, standardized test scores, and number of disciplinary infractions.
Evaluation Type: Non-experimental
Summary of Outcomes:
The study—which looked at students enrolled in Connecticut’s 21st CCLC programs between 2013 and 2017—found that students participating for multiple years in the program had statistically higher school day attendance rates and performed better on Connecticut's standardized math and language arts tests when compared to their peers who participated in the program for only one year. Regarding attendance rates in particular, the study found that school day attendance improved the longer students attended 21st CCLC programs. Students who participated in 21st CCLC programs for two or three years had significantly higher rates of school day attendance compared to their peers who attended only one year of the program. Students attending the program for four years had statistically higher rates of school day attendance compared to those who participated for one, two, or three years.
In addition, while not statistically significant, there was a positive trend in the average number of disciplinary incidents for students attending 21st CCLC programs for multiple years, where students attending the program for multiple years saw a decrease in disciplinary incidents.
The study’s authors conclude that based on their findings, continued participation in 21st CCLC programs over multiple years is associated with improved school-day attendance and academic gains.
Date Added: October 21, 2021
