Afterschool Alliance Research

Informing providers, advocates, and policymakers for 20 years

Delve into our vast collection of research resources that show afterschool programs are keeping kids safe, inspiring learning, and helping working families across the country. 

An integral component of Afterschool Alliance’s mission to ensure that all children have access to affordable, quality afterschool programs is research that assesses and examines the ways children spend their time during the afterschool hours, the opportunities afterschool programs provide the children and families in their communities, and the public support for these programs.

This section contains research materials the Afterschool Alliance has produced over the past 15 years. Find the resource that best fits your needs by searching by document type or by issue area. If you are interested in learning more about afterschool programs, explore Afterschool Essentials, or find out how many children are in afterschool programs by visiting the America After 3PM page. You can also search by issue topic and learn more about afterschool programs supporting young people in variety of areas and subjects, ranging from the arts to health and wellness to STEM. 

Date Title

Page 19 of 20

Afterschool and School Improvement (2002)

According to state departments of education, more than 7,000 schools in the United States are considered in need of improvement. This issue brief addresses how afterschool can be a strategic part of a successful school improvement plan, and highlights the recognition afterschool is receiving, from principals and educational organizations across the country, for supporting school's already.

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Afterschool and Pregnancy Prevention (2002)

Though teen pregnancy rates in the United States have dropped within the past decade, the teen birth rate in the U.S. is still higher than any other developed nation. This brief explains how a safe environment, positive role models, decision making skills, and health education offered by afterschool programs can aid in teenage pregnancy prevention.

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Literacy and Reading in Afterschool Programs (2001)

Many quality afterschool programs offer literacy and reading activities that research indicates provide significant benefits to youth. This brief illustrates the several benefits these reading activities can offer participants, such as improved literacy skills, enjoyment of recreational reading, and building positive relationships with adults.

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2003 National Voters Poll Summary

Summary of Findings from the 2003 National Voters Poll PDF

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21st CCLC one pager

21st Century Community Learning Centers Providing Afterschool Supports to Communities Nationwide PDF

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Afterschool Essentials

Afterschool Essentials are materials that help to make a strong case for afterschool, including key facts about the afterschool hours, the positive impact of afterschool, and details about the 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative—the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to before-school, afterschool and summer learning programs.

21st CCLC Evaluations

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America After 3PM

A snapshot of data spanning a decade that captures afterschool program participation, demand for programs and much more. 

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Evaluations Backgrounder 

A compilation of evaluations of afterschool programs looking at academic outcomes, student behavior and parental concerns about children’s safety.

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FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS two pager

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Resources

Explore a variety of resources on afterschool based on your needs—from to-the-point fact sheets to more in-depth issue briefs and reports to public opinion research.  

Issue Briefs

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