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Technovation Girls is a global program that empowers girls from underserved communities to become entrepreneurs and leaders. The program’s 2024 Annual Impact report found positive outcomes related to participants’ self-efficacy and confidence in pursuing STEM fields, as well as long-term impacts on program alumnae, who report increased technical skills, such as programming, and soft skills, like leadership and teamwork. Program volunteers also recognize the positive professional and personal impact the experience has on their lives.
The STEM Greenhouse 2024-2025 Impact Report highlights that the organization served 1,068 students and provided 16,000 learning hours across programs such as STEM Scholars, SAGE, and Sankofa STEM Academy. Strong student outcomes were reported, including 100% of students in Sankofa STEM Academy and STEM Scholars 2.0 expressing interest in attending college. Specifically, Sankofa STEM Academy successfully helped close math gaps, increasing the percentage of 6th-grade students performing at or above the benchmark from 49.1% to 66.7%. The program primarily serves students of color from low-income families.
A 2024 evaluation of Wisconsin's 21st CCLC programs during the 2022-2023 school year found positive outcomes related to participants' academic performance, engagement, behavior, and life skills development. Approximately one-third of 4th-8th grade participants improved or maintained their proficient/advanced level on reading and math statewide assessments (33% and 30%, respectively), 40% of middle and high school students with a GPA below 3.0 the prior year improved their GPA, and 67% of 1-12th grade students who were chronically absent the previous school year improved their school-day attendance. Participating students also overwhelmingly reported feeling safe and cared for by program staff and that the program has helped them improve their academic, social, and leadership skills. Likewise, almost all parents agreed that programming benefited students academically and emotionally, while also reporting greater opportunities for engagement in their children’s education due to program staff.
The New York Academy of Sciences STEM Education 10-Year Report outlines the impact of its pipeline programs, which have reached over 450,000 individuals globally. The core strategy is to use research-based methods and engage scientists as mentors to provide students with inclusive, active learning experiences. The report highlights a significant impact: 50% of participating scientists show increased interest in education careers, and students demonstrate increased self-efficacy and workplace skills. Key outcomes include a 62% increase in students' interest in science and a 78% increase in their understanding of what it means to be a scientist.
A 2024 evaluation of Arkansas’s 21st CCLC programs during the 2022-2023 school year found positive outcomes related to participants’ academic performance, school-day behavior and engagement, life skills development, and satisfaction with program quality. Nearly 7 in 10 students in grades 4–8 demonstrated growth on statewide math and ELA assessments, and more than three-quarters of regularly attending high school students showed GPA improvement, exceeding state objectives. Students who needed to improve attendance or behavior demonstrated gains, with three in four improving school-day attendance and more than 3 in 5 (64%) reducing in-school suspensions. Teachers reported increased engagement among the vast majority of elementary students, while students and caregivers reported high levels of life skills, including self-advocacy and social skills. Students also expressed strong satisfaction with caring staff, fun activities, and opportunities to try new experiences within the programs.
A 2023 evaluation of Montana's 21st CCLC programs during the 2021-22 school year found positive outcomes related to participating students’ academic engagement and behavior, positive relationships, and youth development. Teacher surveys indicated that participating students needing improvement demonstrated increased academic engagement, including participation in class, willingness to try new things, and completion of in-class assignments. Also, results suggest students are building foundational skills through their programs, with most participating students reporting growth in emotional intelligence, problem-solving skills, and the ability to work well with others. Lastly, nearly all school day administrators surveyed reported that they viewed the 21st CCLC program as valuable (100 percent), agreed that their school’s students benefited from participation in the 21st CCLC program (100 percent), and
This evaluation finds that when comparing students who gained admittance through a lottery to StudentU – a comprehensive afterschool and summer program for middle and high school students – to students who were not selected through the lottery, StudentU participants who entered the program with low baseline achievement accumulated more course credits, experienced the greatest gains in GPA, and were significantly less likely to be suspended than their peers who were not accepted through the lottery. The author reports that these outcomes “suggest that comprehensive services provided outside of the regular school may be a particularly effective strategy for improving outcomes of the most disadvantaged students.” Additionally, the author predicts that StudentU participants have an estimated 4 percentage point higher likelihood of graduating from high school than their non-participating peers.
This randomized control trial of the Boston Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) finds that youth selected to participate were 4.4 percentage points more likely to graduate on time and 2.5 percentage points less likely to drop out of high school compared to their non-participating peers. Evaluators also conducted a mediation analysis to understand the factors driving these outcomes. The analysis finds that improved daily attendance, reduced chronic absenteeism, gains in GPA, and the development of important foundational skills, such as punctuality and emotional regulation, are potential factors contributing to improved on-time high school graduation rates among SYEP participants.
This case study examines the outcomes of an out-of-school-time program’s partnership with a citizen science hub to support STEM learning. The partnership facilitated science learning activities and citizen science projects for over 200 Girl Scout troops across various regions of the U.S. All of the program’s possible student learning outcomes were present by the end of the program, including the development of science literacy, science identity, STEM confidence, and taking specific actions to address scientific and environmental challenges. A key feature of the program was its unstructured nature, allowing for youth self-direction and unintended learning outcomes.
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.
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The Afterschool Impacts Database is a project of the Afterschool Alliance.
The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality afterschool programs.
Afterschool Impacts Database