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Educare Foundation Afterschool Program Report Card for 2014-2015
Year Published: 2015
An evaluation of participation levels and academic outcomes of 8,849 Los Angeles high school students participating in an afterschool program operated by the EduCare Foundation in 2014-2015. A comparison of EduCare attenders and non-attenders indicates that participants in EduCare After School Programs have higher school day attendance and credit completion rates, and outperform non-participants in California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) and California English Language Development Test (CELDT) scores.
Program Name: EduCare Foundation
Program Description: The EduCare After School Programs currently serve 16 high schools and one middle school in Los Angeles Unified School District and one high school in Lynwood Unified School District. These programs focus on improving academic achievement, building self-confidence and supporting healthy lifestyles. Activities are unique to each school based on the community being served, but generally include academic enrichment activities, fitness classes, and performing and fine arts activities.
Scope of the Evaluation: Local
Program Type: Afterschool
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Community Type: Urban
Grade level: High School
Program Demographics: During the 2014-2015 academic school year, 87 percent of program participants were Hispanic, 6 percent were African-American, 5 percent were Asian, and 2 percent were Caucasian. Forty-eight percent of participants were female and 12 percent were English Language Learners. More than 90 percent of program participants that attended Title 1 schools were Title 1 and 3 percent were homeless.
Program Website: http://www.educarefoundation.com/
Evaluator: ERC
Evaluation Methods: Students who attended at least seven days of EduCare afterschool programming were considered attenders for the purposes of this evaluation, and further split into two groups: medium attenders (7-28 days) or high attenders (29+ days). In this quasi-experimental study, the non-attender group matched the gender, socio-economic and demographic composition of the attender group. Data were collected on attendees and non-attendees school day attendance, credit completion, California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) scores, and California English Language Development Test (CELDT) scores.
Evaluation Type: Quasi-experimental
Summary of Outcomes: The study found that, across three academic school years (2012-2013, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015), students attending the EduCare program for at least seven days were more likely to pass the California High School Exit Exams (CAHSEE) in English language arts (ELA) and math than students who did not participate in the program. For example, in the 2014-2015 academic year, 85 percent of high attenders (29+ days) and 80 percent of medium attenders (7-28 days) passed the CAHSEE in ELA, compared to 72 percent of non-attenders and 86 percent of high-attenders and 83 percent of medium attenders passed the CAHSEE math exams, compared to only 73 percent of non-attendees.
Students who attended their afterschool program at a medium to high level were significantly more likely to meet the 96 percent school day attendance benchmark than non-participants. During the 2012-2013 school year, only 49 percent of non-participants met the 96 percent attendance benchmark, compared to 64 percent of medium and 72 percent of high attenders. During the 2013-2014 school year, 51 percent of non-participants met the attendance benchmark, compared to 63 percent of medium, and 72 percent of high attenders. And during the 2014-2015 school year, 57 percent of non-participants met the attendance benchmark, compared to 78 percent of medium, and 81 percent of high attenders.
Additionally, when looking at the percentage of credits earned out of credits attempted in the 2014-2015 school year, medium attenders and high attenders earned credits at a significantly higher rate than non-attenders, where high attenders earned 92 percent of credits attempted, medium attenders earned 89 percent, and non-participants earned 75 percent of credits attempted.
In fall 2014, English Language Learner (ELL) students who were considered high attenders or medium attenders were more likely to score “Advanced” or “Early Advanced” on the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) than non-attenders. Medium and high attenders in the EduCare program were also more likely than non-attenders to be re-designated as Fluent English Proficient in 2013 and 2014.
Associated Evaluation: www.educarefoundation.com/s/Educare-Foundation_2014-2015.pdf
Date Added: September 27, 2016
