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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.
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.
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 study of Girls Inc.—a year-round program located in more than 350 cities for girls ages 5-18 that focuses on healthy living, academic enrichment, and building positive life skills—found that girls who participated in the program reported more positive attitudes and behaviors than a comparison group of girls across the 27 outcomes that were measured in the categories of healthy living, academic engagement and success, and life skills. Girls Inc. participants also had higher math achievement test scores and school-day attendance rates than matched non-participants. By year two of the program, 23 of the 27 outcomes were statistically significant in the positive direction, including outcomes such as school engagement; finding school fun in areas like reading, math, and science; getting excited about science; engaging in physical activity; leadership; positive relationships with adults; and postsecondary readiness.
A 2020 evaluation of the Oregon chapter of the Mathematics, Engineering & Science Achievement (MESA) afterschool program found positive impacts on academic achievement and high school graduation. Using a quasi-experimental design, researchers found that MESA students had higher science test scores and were significantly more likely to graduate from high school compared to their matched non-participating peers. Researchers wrote that, “This relationship suggests MESA participation has a tangible and important effect on high school graduation.”
This 2020 evaluation of Techbridge Girls during the 2019-2020 school year summarizes the organization's success in increasing STEM identity and awareness, STEM self-efficacy, and socio-emotional skills for girls from historically marginalized groups, particularly through the Inspire program–an afterschool program focused on getting 4th and 5th grade girls from low-income communities excited about STEM.
This evaluation of the STEMLink grant program during the 2016-2017 school year found that students reported greater interest in science, engineering, and technology after participating in the program, with more than 70 percent of students reporting that they were more interested in technology and engineering because of their involvement. Researchers also found that students sought out opportunities to learn more about STEM than they did prior to the program, including reading STEM-related magazines or articles, and that students’ awareness of STEM careers increased, as did their interest in STEM-related postsecondary fields or careers. The study also found that STEMLink programs reported success in areas aligned with providing quality programming, such as providing a positive program climate where students felt safe and enjoyed their experience and providing staff with the professional development supports they need.
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.
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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