A project of the Afterschool Alliance.

Missouri 21st Century Community Learning Centers Statewide Evaluation: 2017-2018 Annual Report

Year Published: 2018

A statewide evaluation of Missouri’s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs during the 2017-18 school year examined outcomes related to participants’ academic performance, engagement, and behavior. The evaluation found that almost all 21st CCLC sites reported that at least half of their students maintained or improved their reading/communication arts, math, and science grades. Students in the programs also reported strong personal and social skills and a commitment to learning. 

Program Name: Missouri 21st Century Community Learning Centers

Program Description:

Missouri’s 21st Century Community Learning Center program—which receives federal support through the 21st CCLC initiative—serves high-needs communities across the state, providing local afterschool and summer programming through 61 grantees operating 149 centers and serving over 11,000 youth during the 2017-18 school year.

Scope of the Evaluation: Statewide

Program Type: Summer, Afterschool

Location: Missouri

Grade level: Elementary School, Middle School, High School

Program Demographics:

All schools served by Missouri’s 21st CCLC programs are Title I eligible, meaning more than 40 percent of students qualify for Free and Reduced Price Lunch. Out of the 11,106 21st CCLC program participants surveyed, 57 percent of students identified as White, 28.1 percent identified as African American, 5.3 percent identified as Hispanic, 3.6 percent identified as multiracial, 1 percent identified as Native American, 0.6 percent identified as Asian, and 4.5 percent of participants identified as “other race” or ethnicity.  

Program Website: https://dese.mo.gov/quality-schools/extended-learning/afterschool-programs

Evaluator: Mayfield, W. Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis, University of Missouri.

Evaluation Methods:

This evaluation used data from the Kids Care Center system, which included student attendance, participation, and academic progress; statewide survey data; and observational data. The evaluation applied a “Leading Indicator framework…constructed as composites from scale scores drawn from survey and observational measures,” such as surveys given to project directors, site coordinators, frontline staff, youth workers, students, and parents.  

Evaluation Type: Non-experimental

Summary of Outcomes:

The evaluation of Missouri’s 21st CCLC programs during the 2017-18 academic year reported positive findings on academic achievement, youth engagement, and student behavior. Almost all 21st CCLC sites reported that at least half of their students maintained or improved their reading/communication arts, math, and science grades, with the mean site percent of students maintaining or improving their grades above 70 percent for all three objectives. Between 44 and 60 percent of sites reported that at least 70 percent of their students reported a “medium to high level” of reading efficacy (49.7 percent), math efficacy (60.5 percent), and “interest and engagement in STEM” (44.1 percent).

Scores related to youth engagement and belonging in programs were high with most questions receiving an average score of 4 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being “almost never true” and 5 being “almost always true”. For example, the statement, “I feel like I belong at this program” received an average score of 4.06, the statement “I feel like I matter at this program” received an average score of 3.98, and the statement “I am challenged in a good way” received an average score of 3.92.

With regard to college and career readiness, the evaluation found that almost all sites had at least 70 percent of youth “indicat[ing] a medium to high level of personal and social skills as measured by the youth outcomes survey” and “indicat[ing] a medium to high level of commitment to learning as measured by the youth outcomes survey.” Examples of the average scores and indicators in the personal and social skills scale include “I set goals for myself” (3.98- older youth), “I like to work with others to solve problems” (3.89- older youth, 4.48- younger youth), and “I work well with other kids” (3.87- older youth). Examples of indicators in the commitment to learning scale include “I like to learn new things” (4.20- older youth, 4.71- younger youth), “I pay attention in class” (4.11- older youth, 4.48- younger youth), and “I come to school ready” (4.28- older youth, 4.60- younger youth).  

 

Date Added: September 3, 2019