Evaluator: Schwab, E. Vermont Afterschool, Inc.

Evaluation Methods:

This evaluation utilized data from the annual performance reports (APR) collected through the Cognito Forms platform to assess measures in four goal areas: access and equity, quality programming, program leadership, and project sustainability. In addition, several hundred students in grades 5 through 12 completed a survey to measure participants’ feelings about the programs.  

Evaluation Type: Non-experimental

Summary of Outcomes:

A statewide evaluation of Vermont’s 21^st Century Community Learning Centers found that overall, programs had many strengths and areas in which they improved in the 2017-18 school year school in regards to goals established by a task force reassessing the statewide evaluation plan. The four goals were: access and equity, quality programming, program leadership, and project sustainability. Challenges programs faced in these four areas were also addressed in the report.

One of the continuous strengths of the programs reported on was that they serve students most in need. Among regularly attending students, 57 percent of students in the programs qualified for free and reduced price lunch, and 20 percent were on an individual education plan (IEP); these numbers surpassed the state averages for the same school year. For students who were struggling academically, 71 percent of sites offered a strategy beyond homework help, such as tutoring or hiring reading specialists.

Access to the programs has also improved, where 80 percent of school year sites operated for more than 32 weeks in the 2017-18 school year, which was a six percent increase from the previous year, and the percentage of sites that offered at least 14 hours of programming per week increased from 30 percent to 35 percent.

Regarding health and wellness, almost all programs offered opportunities for students to engage in at least 20 minutes of physical activity (97 percent), and 97 percent of sites scored at least a 4.0 on the Nourishment Scale of Youth Program Quality (on a scale of 1 to 5), indicating that they are providing healthy snacks and beverages to attendees. Roughly half of students said that they felt lively (48 percent) or active (46 percent) for at least quite a lot of the time.

When students were surveyed about their experiences, roughly than 7 in 10 reported that the statements “I feel like I belong at this program” (70 percent) and that “I feel I matter at this program” (69 percent) were almost always true. More than half of students responded that it was almost always true they are interested in what they do in the program (58 percent), they feel challenged in a good way (52 percent), and that the activities are important to them (51 percent).

Examining program leadership, 93 percent of projects had directors with at least three years of related work experience; 90 percent of program directors participated in at least 25 hours of professional development, up from 80 percent in the 2015-16 school year; 93 percent of project directors had at least a bachelor’s degree; and 53 percent of school year sites were staffed by at least one-third of licensed educators.

Programs also had strengths for project sustainability, where 76 percent of projects worked with two or more community partners that contributed at least $1,000 over the course of the year.

Challenges included in the report were the percentage of sites being able to offer a culminating activity or project has been declining since the 2014-15 school year, programs facing difficulties consistently serving students on a regular basis, and programs recruiting and retaining quality staff was found to be a barrier to program success. 

Date Added: June 30, 2021