A project of the Afterschool Alliance.

Iowa 21st Century Community Learning Centers State Evaluation of Afterschool Programs 2017

Year Published: 2018

A statewide evaluation of Iowa’s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs examined student behavior as well as academic gains in reading and math. On average, 43 percent of regular program participants identified as needing improvement showed improvements in reading and 37 percent improved in math. In addition, 83 percent of students improved their behavior and 81 percent improved their homework completion and class participation.

Program Name: Iowa 21st Century Community Learning Centers

Program Description:

Iowa’s 21st Century Community Learning Center program, which is federally-funded through the 21st CCLC Initiative, provides students in high-need, high-poverty communities with academic enrichment opportunities in afterschool programming. In 2017, Iowa had 21 grantee organizations operating 105 sites serving 15,551 students.

Scope of the Evaluation: Statewide

Program Type: Summer, Afterschool

Location: Iowa

Grade level: Elementary School, Middle School, High School

Program Demographics:

All schools served by Iowa’s 21st CCLC programs are Title I eligible, meaning more than 40 percent of students qualify for Federal Free and Reduced Price Lunch. In 2017, 71 percent of program participants qualified for Free or Reduced Price Lunch, 8 percent were categorized as limited English proficient, and 12 percent were students with a disability. 61.7 percent of children served by programs identified as White, 14.1 percent identified as Hispanic or Latino, 16 percent identified as Black or African American, 3.3 percent identified as Asian or Pacific Islander, and 1.2 percent identified as American Indian or Alaska Native.  

Program Website: https://educateiowa.gov/pk-12/title-programs/title-iv-part-b-21st-century-community-learning-centers

Evaluator: Cravey, R., & Sinclair, E., Educational Resource Management Solutions

Evaluation Methods:

This evaluation examined data from local center evaluations including federal Annual Performance Report (APR) data, site visit reports, and an end-of-year survey. Local center evaluations were used to gather demographic data and track the percentage of attendees scoring proficient or better on reading and mathematics assessments. The end-of-survey gathered general program information such as student needs, achievement, programming, and family engagement. 

Evaluation Type: Non-experimental

Summary of Outcomes:

The evaluation of Iowa’s 21st CCLC programs shows gains in academic performance for regular program participants. The federal APR data reports that statewide, 43 percent of regular program participants (attending 30 or more days), who were also identified as needing improvement, showed improvement from fall to spring in English, and 37 percent in math. In both elementary reading and secondary mathematics, 32 percent of regular program participants identified as “not proficient” achieved the level of “proficient or above.” When looking at the local level, notable academic achievements included regular program participants in Andrew CSD, where students exhibited an achievement growth rate of 98 percent in English and 91 percent in math.

Based on teacher surveys, 81 percent of regular program participants improved their homework completion and class participation and 83 percent of students improved their behavior. When looking at the local level, notable behavior-related achievements included more than 9 in 10 regularly attending students identified as needing improvement made gains in student behavior in Allamakee Community School District (CSD) (94 percent), Andrew CSD (92 percent), Des Moines CSD (92 percent), and Oelwein CSD (94 percent) of students

In addition, surveyed parents expressed satisfaction with 21st CCLC programming. For example, 95 percent of parents of students in Des Moines CSD rated the program as “good” or “excellent”, and 97 percent of parents of students in Youthport agreed that their child enjoyed their time at 21st CCLC. 

Date Added: August 29, 2019