Evaluation of an After-School Program for African-American and Hispanic Male Youth: Please Call Me Mister

This quasi-experimental evaluation of the Please Call Me Mister (PCMM) program—a 4-year afterschool program in Franklin County, Kentucky, for middle and high school African American and Hispanic males focused on violence prevention and positive youth development—found several statistically significant positive outcomes for PCMM participants, including a decrease in carrying weapons and lower levels of alcohol consumption. PCMM participants also saw increases in resiliency and a decrease in levels of depression.  

New Mexico 21st Century Community Learning Centers Statewide Evaluation Mid - Year Report

21^st Century Community Learning Centers across the state served almost 7,000 students who participated in 396,739 hours of activities during the fall 2021 semester. Almost half (49 percent) of all participants earned a B or better during the first grading period in both math and English/reading. In evaluators’ preliminary findings, they noted that there were, “substantial gains in students’ English/Reading scores” comparing the first two grading periods during the 2021-22 school year. 

South Carolina Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Statewide Evaluation: 2019-21 Program Year and Effectiveness Report

A 2022 evaluation of South Carolina’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program found that there was a positive impact on academic and behavioral outcomes among students regularly attending the program compared to their non-participating peers and students who attended programming less regularly, with greater gains associated with higher levels of program participation. Regular program participants performed better on state standardized tests in math and saw reductions in unexcused absences and disciplinary incidents.  Teacher surveys revealed that regular attendees needing improvement showed growth in their academic performance, class participation, homework completion, motivation to learn, interaction with others, and classroom behavior. 

Nebraska 21st Century Community Learning Centers Annual Report 2019-2020

Nebraska’s 21^st CCLC programming resulted in positive outcomes for students despite challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most students participating in the 21^st CCLC programs saw moderate to significant improvement in math (75 percent), science (74 percent), reading (74 percent), and writing (69 percent) from the fall to the spring. Additionally, a majority of students saw improvement in their behavior (61 percent) and ability to get along with other students (56 percent), based on teacher surveys. Many students reported that their programs help them learn new things (81 percent), and parents overwhelmingly agreed that afterschool programs were a benefit to their children. 

21st Century Community Learning Centers External State-Wide Evaluation Report (Alabama)

Students, teachers, families, and afterschool program staff reported mostly positive outcomes for students attending 21^st CCLC program sites across the state of Alabama, even while COVID-19 proved to be challenging for programs nationwide. Students improved their math and reading through their afterschool programs and agreed that their programs were a place they could feel safe. Parents reported that their children improved their school day attendance, enjoyed the STEM opportunities available, and get along better with others through programming, and staff responded positively to survey questions about programs’ overall operations, and provided categories of professional development that would be beneficial for future program delivery. 

21st Century Community Learning Centers: 2019-2020 Program Year Statewide Evaluation (Colorado)

This evaluation of Colorado’s 21^st Century Community Learning Center (21^st CCLC) programs found that, based on teachers surveyed, students regularly participating in programs made academic and behavioral gains, with regular participants who attended both the fall and spring sessions even more likely to make improvements. Among regularly attending students in need of improvement, more than 7 in 10 improved their academic performance (73 percent) and class participation (73 percent), and approximately 2 in 3 students improved their motivation to learn (65 percent), class attentiveness (67 percent), and satisfactory homework completion (65 percent). Students who attended 21^st CCLC programs in the fall and spring were more likely to make gains compared to students who attended for part of the year. For example, 74 percent of students who attended in both the fall and spring improved their academic performance, while 66 percent of students who attended in eithe

21st Century Community Learning Centers 2017-2018 Program Year Statewide Evaluation (Colorado)

A statewide evaluation of Colorado’s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs during the 2017-18 school year found positive gains related to student participants’ academic performance, engagement in school, and school-day behavior. Teachers reported that among students regularly attending the program and who were in need of improvement, a strong majority improved their academic performance (71 percent), class participation (68 percent), motivation to learn (67 percent), relationships with peers (63 percent), classroom attentiveness (62 percent), homework completion (55 percent), and behavior in class (54 percent). Subgrantees were also surveyed and reported progress in meeting or exceeding their performance measure in enrichment (57 percent), STEM (61 percent), health and wellness (53 percent), and attendance (60 percent). 

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

A statewide evaluation of Michigan’s 21^st Century Community Learning Center (21^st CCLC) programs found that based on grades and surveys of teachers, students, and parents, students attending a program for at least 30 days (regular attendees) saw academic gains, as well as improvements in their behavior and engagement in school. Approximately half of students with room for improvement (defined as having a fall GPA below 3.0), saw grade improvement in math (52 percent) and English/language arts (51 percent) from fall to spring. Teacher surveys also reflected an improvement in classroom performance for behaviors such as turning in homework on time and participating in class (74 percent), as well as getting along with other students (79 percent). In addition, both students and parents reported overall positive perceptions of program impact on academic learning and behavior.  

21st Century Community Learning Centers Minnesota Performance Report 2016-17

This statewide evaluation of Minnesota’s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs during the 2016-17 school year finds positive academic and behavioral outcomes associated with participation. For example, 81 percent of participants shared that their program helps them feel good about themselves, and students who were deemed as regular participants in 21^st CCLC programming (attended 30 days or more) were 13 percent more likely to be proficient in reading and 10 percent more likely to be proficient in math compared to their peers who attended the program less often.

Mississippi 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program Evaluation – Final Report

This statewide evaluation of Mississippi’s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs during the 2017-18 school year finds that participants showed significant progress in both school-day behavior and academics based on school-day teacher reports. Parent satisfaction was high both for their children’s outcomes and their own experiences with programming. Additionally, 21^st CCLC centers where most of their staff received Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) training saw better student attendance and outcomes compared to centers where most staff were not trained by MDE. Staff were satisfied with their performance, with 95 percent of site directors agreeing or strongly agreeing that they had accomplished their main program objectives during the school year and shared what key successes and challenges they had.