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21st Century Community Learning Centers Program Evaluation: Final Report (Mississippi)
Year Published: 2018
A statewide evaluation of Mississippi’s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs—based on teacher surveys—found that regular program participants (attending 30 days or more) experienced positive and statistically significant gains in academic performance and behavior. According to teacher surveys, approximately 3 in 4 regular program participants improved their grades in reading (74.8 percent) and math (75.6 percent). In addition, there is a positive and statistically significant correlation between higher levels of program participation and increased rates of student improvement in English language arts and math, as well as in behavior, classroom participation, and homework completion.
Program Name: Mississippi 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program
Program Description:
Mississippi’s 21st Century Community Learning Center program, which receives federal support through the 21st CCLC Initiative, provides academic enrichment opportunities for children at high-poverty and low-performing schools. During the 2017-18 program year, 15 grantees operated 52 centers serving approximately 3,728 youth.
Scope of the Evaluation: Statewide
Program Type: Summer, Afterschool
Location: Mississippi
Community Type: Rural, Urban, Suburban
Grade level: Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Program Demographics:
All schools served by Mississippi’s 21st CCLC programs are Title I eligible, meaning more than 40 percent of students qualify for Federal Free and Reduced Price Lunch. During the 2017-18 program year, among non-regular attendees, 88.3 percent qualified for Free or Reduced Price Lunch, 11.7 percent were identified to have special needs, and 1.1 percent had limited English proficiency. Among regular attendees, 90.3 percent qualified for Free or Reduced Price Lunch, 13 percent were identified to have special needs, and 3.7 percent had limited English proficiency. With regard to race and ethnicity, among non-regular attendees, 63.7 percent of program participants identified as Black or African American, 32 percent as White, 2.2 percent as Hispanic or Latino, and 2.1 percent as “other”. Among regular attendees, 69.7 percent of program participants identified as Black or African American, 24 percent as White, 24.6 percent as Hispanic or Latino, and 1.7 percent as “other”.
Program Website: https://www.mdek12.org/OFP/Title-IV-Part-B
Evaluator: Olatunji, A.N., Ho, H., Green, C.T., & Alcala, C.S. Align Education, LLC.
Evaluation Methods:
This evaluation is based on data collected from the Mississippi Department of Education and an online survey of parents and program directors. The data, reported by subgrantees in Excel spreadsheets, includes student demographics, attendance, and changes in behavior and academic achievement.
Evaluation Type: Non-experimental
Summary of Outcomes:
The evaluation of Mississippi’s 21st CCLC program found that—based on teacher surveys—regular program participants (attending 30 days or more) experienced positive and statistically significant gains in academic performance and behavior.
According to teacher surveys, approximately 3 in 4 regular program participants improved their grades in reading (74.8 percent) and math (75.6 percent). In addition, there is a positive and statistically significant correlation between higher levels of program participation and increased rates of student improvement in English language arts and math, as well as in behavior, classroom participation, and homework completion. For example, 66.1 percent of students who participated in programming for a period of 30-39 days improved in homework completion compared with 94.2 percent of students who participated between 50-59 days.
Based on program director surveys, there is a positive and statistically significant relationship between student outcomes and Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) training for program staff members. Students who attended 21st CCLC centers where administrators indicated most or all staff members had received MDE training were more likely to attend more days of programming and show statistically significant improvements in behaviors and grades at school. At programs where most or all staff members received MDE training, students attended, on average, 11 more days of programming compared with their peers at sites where most or all staff members did not receive training. In addition, 71 percent of those students improved in reading and 78 percent improved in math, compared with 64 percent in reading and 66 percent in math for students at programs where most staff were not trained.
Parents expressed positive perceptions and high levels of satisfaction regarding 21st CCLC programs. Of parents surveyed, the vast majority of parents agreed or strongly agreed that their child benefitted from participation in 21st CCLC programs (86.7 percent) and that they were satisfied with the quality of services their children received overall (87.4 percent). Moreover, approximately 4 in 5 parents agreed or strongly agreed that 21st CCLC programs helped their child’s behavior (84.2 percent) and improved their child’s report card grades (83.4 percent). 83.4 percent of parents agreed that due to their experience at the program, they felt better able to communicate with school members about their child or other on other issues.
