A project of the Afterschool Alliance.

Arkansas 21st Century Community Learning Centers Statewide Evaluation: 2017-18 Annual Report

Year Published: 2019

The 2019 evaluation by the David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality of Arkansas’ 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs found that students regularly participating in the programs made positive academic and social and emotional gains. Students reported that the programs helped them improve their academic habits, such as following the rules (95 percent), and helped them with their social and emotional skills and competencies, including working well with others (91 percent) and sharing their thoughts even if they disagreed (89 percent). Additionally, among regular participants, 41 percent and 42 percent increased or remained in the advanced or proficient levels in reading and math, respectively.

Program Name: Arkansas 21st Century Community Learning Centers

Program Description:

Arkansas’ 21st Century Community Learning Center program, which receives federal funding through the 21st CCLC initiative, provides afterschool and summer academic enrichment opportunities for children at high-poverty and low-performing schools throughout the state. During the 2017-18 program year, 50 grantees operated programs in 72 centers.

Scope of the Evaluation: Statewide

Program Type: Afterschool

Location: Arkansas

Grade level: Elementary School, Middle School, High School

Program Demographics:

Of the students who participated in the youth survey for the 2017-18 school year, 35 percent identified as white; 34 percent as African American/Black; 13 percent as Hispanic; 5 percent as two or more races; 4 percent as Asian/Pacific Islander; and 1 percent as Native American. 

Program Website: http://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/divisions/public-school-accountability/federal-programs/21st-century-community-learning-cent

Evaluator: The David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality

Evaluation Methods:

To measure progress on Arkansas’ three goals—increase academic achievement, increase non-academic achievement, and offer quality activities—data were collected across multiple stakeholders (directors, coordinators, staff, youth, and parents) using the Program Quality Assessment (PQA), Program Improvement Plans (PIP), Annual Performance Report (APR), and Leading Indicator surveys for managers, staff, parents, and youth. Data were collected from the 72 participating sites, and included the American College Testing Aspire end-of-year summative assessments, youth surveys asking about academic efficacy and social and emotional skills and competencies, parent surveys regarding family satisfaction, and staff surveys assessing program operations.

Evaluation Type: Non-experimental

Summary of Outcomes:

The 2019 evaluation by the David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality of Arkansas’ 21st CCLC programs found that students regularly participating in the programs (30 days or more) made positive academic and social-emotional gains. Among regular participants, 41 percent increased or stayed in the advanced and proficient levels on the statewide English language/literacy assessments and 42 percent did the same on statewide math assessments. While these results only partially met the goal of 60 percent of students increasing or maintaining the advanced or proficient levels, youth did report that the programs helped them improve their academic habits that the authors of the report stated were, “predictive of positive outcomes.” For example, an overwhelming majority of students reported that the programs helped them follow classroom rules (95 percent), keep track of things at school (92 percent), and work well by themselves (89 percent).

Additionally, more than 70 percent of program sites offered homework or academic help, with more than half of students reporting that they almost always get their homework done in the afterschool program (54 percent) and that they almost always learn things that help in the school (51 percent). Parents also report high satisfaction levels with their child’s 21st CCLC program, with the average confidence in care scoring 4.72 and convenience of care 4.74 on a scale of 1 to 5.

In assessing social and emotional skills, a large majority of youth reported that the program helped them work well with others (91 percent); tell others what they thought, even if they disagreed (89 percent); and talk with people they did not know (78 percent). Roughly half of youth said that they felt like they belonged (53 percent) and reported that the program helped them try new things (45 percent).

Finally, regarding parent and family engagement, the evaluation found that up to 42 percent of programs offered opportunities for families to engage in quality activities, with programs serving elementary school youth offering more opportunities for engagement. Parents also report high levels of satisfaction with programs supporting family-school connection (4.53).

Date Added: June 30, 2021