21st Century Community Learning Centers Statewide Evaluation Report 2019-2020 (Vermont)

This study found that Vermont 21^st CCLC programs provided high-quality, equitable, accessible opportunities for students across the state. Programs had qualified staff and site directors regularly met with principals to maintain strong relationships between the school and afterschool program. Evaluators shared that forty percent of all 11,467 attendees regularly attended programming. Sites also stepped up during the COVID-19 outbreak, providing remote programming, child care for essential workers, meal support, and professional development and activities for staff. 

Improvements in math and reading scores of students who did and did not participate in the Foundations After School Enrichment Program during the 2001-2002 school year

This evaluation looked at elementary students in Foundations, Inc.'s After School Enrichment Programs at 19 schools in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida. The evaluation found that students participating in the afterschool program experienced greater academic gains compared to non-participating students, where Foundations students scored higher on math and reading standardized tests than their peers who did not participate in the program.

Building Quality, Scale, and Effectiveness in After-School Programs: Summary Report of the TASC Evaluation

An external evaluation of The After-School Corporation (TASC), which works to increase the availability of quality afterschool programs in New York City, that collected data spanning four school years from 96 TASC afterschool projects and their host schools in New York City and compared students participating in TASC to students not enrolled in the afterschool programs. The TASC model is a partnership between a public school and a local nonprofit organization that provides afterschool programming free of charge to New York City students enrolled in the school. At the elementary and middle school levels, TASC participants showed gains in math achievement and school attendance. At the high school level, afterschool participants passed more Regents exams, attended school more regularly, and earned more high school credits than their non-participating peers.

Afterschool Program Participation and the Development of Child Obesity and Peer Acceptance

This longitudinal study examined the role that afterschool program participation plays in the development of childhood obesity and peer acceptance among low-income and minority children. The study assessed three unnamed northeastern, urban, public schools and found that the prevalence of obesity was significantly lower for afterschool participants compared to nonparticipants (21 percent vs. 33 percent) controlling for baseline obesity, poverty status, and race and ethnicity. The study also found that students participating in the afterschool programs showed significant increases in peer acceptance during their time in the program.

The Medical College of Georgia FitKid Project: the relations between program attendance and changes in outcomes in year 1

This evaluation studied third graders, a majority of whom were children of color, at 18 schools in Georgia participating in the Medical College of Georgia FitKid Project, an afterschool program that used a fitness curriculum developed by the Medical College of Georgia to reduce childhood obesity. Researchers concluded that children who attended 40 percent or more of the afterschool sessions showed improvement in body fat percentage, bone mass density, and cardiovascular fitness. Students with higher levels of program attendance saw even greater health gains, where students’ cardiovascular fitness and bone mass density increased and body fat decreased as program attendance increased.

Virtual Y the afterschool program: A ray of sunshine for urban public elementary school children

A report by The National Center for Schools and Communities at Fordham University presenting the results of seven years of evaluation for the YMCA of Greater New York’s Virtual Y afterschool program—an afterschool program that served elementary school students five days a week between 3 and 6 p.m. Teachers reported significant improvements in classroom behavior for Virtual Y participants, including improvement in task motivation, frustration tolerance, learning skills, acting out, peer social skills, assertive social skills, and shyness and anxiety. The average school day attendance of 3rd and 4th grade Virtual Y participants also exceeded the average attendance of a comparison group. Additionally, Virtual Y participants outperformed a comparison group in post-program math scores.

An Ecological Analysis of After-School Program Participation and the Development of Academic Performance and Motivational Attributes for Disadvantaged Children

A longitudinal study evaluating the impact of afterschool program participation on the academic performance and motivation of elementary school students. Participants were 599 boys and girls from an unnamed urban, economically disadvantaged community in the U.S. Data collected from student academic records and surveys of teachers, afterschool providers, and parents indicated that students participating in afterschool programs had significantly higher reading achievement compared to students who were in other after school care arrangements (parent care, a mix of parent care and no adult supervision, and a mix of non-parental supervision and no adult supervision) and had a higher expectancy of success than students who had non-parental supervision and no adult supervision.  Students who were in the highest category of afterschool program attendance saw even greater gains, with significantly higher reading achievement, motivation, and expectancy of success than children in all other care arrangements.

After-School Worries: Tough On Parents, Bad for Business

This study of 1,755 working parents of school-age children at one of three Fortune 100 companies focused on assessing parental stress. Based on parents surveyed, the study estimates that approximately 50 million parents are potentially over-stressed by parental concern about afterschool time (PCAST)—which is when parents are worried about what their children are doing during the hours after school—and are likely to bring their concerns to the office. The study found that parental worries about what their children are doing after school makes mothers and fathers less productive at work and contributes to employee stress, costing businesses between $50 billion and $300 billion annually in lost productivity.

Out-of-School Time Programs: A Meta-Analysis of Effects for At-Risk Students

A meta-analysis of 35 evaluations examining the academic impact of out-of-school time (OST) programs, specifically programs serving students at risk for school failure, a population that includes students who were not performing well academically in school or students who had characteristics associated with dropping out of school. The meta-analysis found that programs have a statistically significant positive impact on both the reading and math achievement of students participating in the program.

Young Scholars Program: An overview of the benefits that promising students gain from extended day programs

An analysis of the effects of the Young Scholars Program on students in schools throughout North Carolina. Academic and attendance data collected on Young Scholars over the course of five years shows that participation in the program led to gains in math and reading proficiency, improved grade promotion, increased school day attendance, and increased parent involvement.