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This quasi-experimental evaluation of the Please Call Me Mister (PCMM) program—a 4-year afterschool program in Franklin County, Kentucky, for middle and high school African American and Hispanic males focused on violence prevention and positive youth development—found several statistically significant positive outcomes for PCMM participants, including a decrease in carrying weapons and lower levels of alcohol consumption. PCMM participants also saw increases in resiliency and a decrease in levels of depression.
21st Century Community Learning Centers across the state served almost 7,000 students who participated in 396,739 hours of activities during the fall 2021 semester. Almost half (49 percent) of all participants earned a B or better during the first grading period in both math and English/reading. In evaluators’ preliminary findings, they noted that there were, “substantial gains in students’ English/Reading scores” comparing the first two grading periods during the 2021-22 school year.
A 2022 evaluation of South Carolina’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program found that there was a positive impact on academic and behavioral outcomes among students regularly attending the program compared to their non-participating peers and students who attended programming less regularly, with greater gains associated with higher levels of program participation. Regular program participants performed better on state standardized tests in math and saw reductions in unexcused absences and disciplinary incidents. Teacher surveys revealed that regular attendees needing improvement showed growth in their academic performance, class participation, homework completion, motivation to learn, interaction with others, and classroom behavior.
Nebraska’s 21st CCLC programming resulted in positive outcomes for students despite challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most students participating in the 21st CCLC programs saw moderate to significant improvement in math (75 percent), science (74 percent), reading (74 percent), and writing (69 percent) from the fall to the spring. Additionally, a majority of students saw improvement in their behavior (61 percent) and ability to get along with other students (56 percent), based on teacher surveys. Many students reported that their programs help them learn new things (81 percent), and parents overwhelmingly agreed that afterschool programs were a benefit to their children.
This statewide evaluation of Florida’s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs during the 2018-19 school year finds that program participants improved in academic performance and positive school behaviors. On a scale that ranged from 1 (“declined”) to 3 (“improved”), teachers report that students improved their class behavior (3.0), motivation to learn (2.96), homework completion (2.95), and academic performance (2.91). Students agree that their programs help them to solve problems in a positive way (2.68) and get along with others (2.58). They also report that the programs have adults who care about them (2.8) and make them feel safe (2.77), with 1 corresponding to “not at all” and 3 corresponding to “definitely.”
A statewide evaluation of Indiana’s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs finds that higher levels of participation in the afterschool program is associated with improved academic performance and school-related behaviors. More than 7 in 10 students with high program participation (90+ days) maintained a B or higher in math (73 percent) and English language arts (72 percent), higher than students attending less frequently. Students who attend 21st CCLC programs at high levels also have higher school day attendance and lower suspension rates. In addition, teachers report that a majority of students in need of improvement improved their academic performance (73 percent), class participation (64 percent), and classroom behavior (57 percent).
Students, teachers, families, and afterschool program staff reported mostly positive outcomes for students attending 21st CCLC program sites across the state of Alabama, even while COVID-19 proved to be challenging for programs nationwide. Students improved their math and reading through their afterschool programs and agreed that their programs were a place they could feel safe. Parents reported that their children improved their school day attendance, enjoyed the STEM opportunities available, and get along better with others through programming, and staff responded positively to survey questions about programs’ overall operations, and provided categories of professional development that would be beneficial for future program delivery.
This evaluation of Colorado’s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs found that, based on teachers surveyed, students regularly participating in programs made academic and behavioral gains, with regular participants who attended both the fall and spring sessions even more likely to make improvements. Among regularly attending students in need of improvement, more than 7 in 10 improved their academic performance (73 percent) and class participation (73 percent), and approximately 2 in 3 students improved their motivation to learn (65 percent), class attentiveness (67 percent), and satisfactory homework completion (65 percent). Students who attended 21st CCLC programs in the fall and spring were more likely to make gains compared to students who attended for part of the year. For example, 74 percent of students who attended in both the fall and spring improved their academic performance, while 66 percent of students who attended in eithe
The study found that students who participated in the Higher Achievement afterschool and summer program over the course of two years had statistically significantly higher grades in math, English, and science, as well as higher overall GPAs, compared to a matched control group. The program appeared to be most effective for students who joined the program on grade level. The subgroup analysis also found that male students in the program also saw greater gains in math compared to girls in year one and two of the program.
A longitudinal study of voluntary summer learning programs, led by five school districts located in urban communities across the country, followed students from 3rd to 7th grade and found positive academic gains among the randomly assigned students to the program compared to the control group of their nonparticipating peers. After the first and second summer of program participation, program attendees outperformed control-group students. Statistically significant differences were found in math achievement after the first summer, and math, language arts, and social and emotional skills after the second summer. Researchers followed up on program participants three years after the second summer of program participation and found that while academic gains compared to average gains made in a year were no longer statistically significant, they were still large enough to be meaningful.