COVID Funding & Recovery Resources | Accessing American Rescue Funds

Afterschool Research: Evaluation and Data

The research is in: afterschool works

A growing body of research shows that afterschool programs are helping kids to learn, grow and thrive.

Long-term evaluations, meta-analyses, state-level program studies, individual program assessments—over the course of the past 15 years, the research demonstrating the positive impacts of quality afterschool programs have on students has continued to grow. This section offers a compilation of recent afterschool research, including figures on the number of children participating in afterschool.

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America After 3PM: Afterschool Programs in Demand (Oct 2014) The Afterschool Alliance is proud to present this report as part of the third edition of America After 3PM, which spans a decade of household survey data chronicling how children spend the hours between 3 and 6 p.m. This report highlights the key findings of the survey data, addresses the demand for more programs and the persistence of an opportunity gap, and emphasizes the need for a wide range of supports and providers.	Download Executive Summary
America After 3PM: From Big Cities to Small Towns (Oct 2010) The Afterschool Alliance is proud to present this report as part of the second edition of America After 3PM, which spans five years of household survey data chronicling how children spend the hours between 3 and 6 p.m. This report compares findings for rural, suburban, and urban communities to each other and the nation as a whole. Rural	Download
America After 3PM: Special Report on Summer: Missed Opportunities, Unmet Demand (May 2010) The Afterschool Alliance is proud to present this report as part of the second edition of America After 3PM, which spans five years of household survey data chronicling how children spend the hours between 3 and 6 p.m. This special report addresses key finding related to the need for summer programming, the unmet demand within each state, and a persisting opportunity gap. Summer Learning	Download
Evaluations Backgrounder A compilation of evaluations of afterschool programs looking at academic outcomes, student behavior and parental concerns about children’s safety.	Download
Evaluations Backgrounder: A Summary of Formal Evaluations of Afterschool Programs' Impact on Academics, Behavior, Safety and Family Life (2011) The most recent evaluations available today continue to support the important role afterschool plays in student development and success. This updated evaluations backgrounder includes new research, from the local to national scale, demonstrating the impact of afterschool programs on participants’ academic achievement, behavior, safety, and wellness, as well as the support they provide working families.	Download
Evaluations Backgrounder: A Summary of Formal Evaluations of Afterschool Programs’ Impact on Academics, Behavior, Safety and Family Life (2015) The most recent evaluations available today continue to support the important role afterschool plays in student development and success. This updated evaluations backgrounder includes new research outlining the positive impacts of afterschool programs on academic performances, behavior, safety, attendance, avoidance of risky behaviors and parental involvement, and the importance of frequency and duration of participation in seeing these benefits. Evaluations	Download
How COVID Relief Funding is a Lifeline for Afterschool and Summer Programs During the Pandemic (July 2022) Funds from the American Rescue Plan present a tremendous opportunity to help afterschool and summer programs support the children and families in their communities. Although results from the seventh wave of Afterschool Alliance’s survey series, conducted March 21 through April 12, 2022, show that a large share of providers have not accessed COVID relief funding, for those who have, the funding has allowed them to hire more staff, serve more students, and expand their programming. COVID-19	Download Featured
Looking at the Data: Afterschool Programs Using Data to Better Serve Students (August 2014) The Afterschool Alliance, in partnership with MetLife Foundation is proud to present the last of four issue briefs in our sixth series examining critical issues facing middle school youth and the vital role afterschool programs play in addressing these issues. This brief addresses what afterschool programs gain through data collection and evaluation, how to evaluate a program effectively and how to use to data collected for program improvement. Evaluations	Download
Navigating Afterschool Challenges in 2022 - Wave 7 (July 2022) This dashboard includes findings from the seventh wave of the Afterschool Alliance's Afterschool in the Time of COVID-19 series, conducted in spring 2022. Ninety-seven percent of providers across the country report that their programs were open in some capacity this year, but staffing remains a top concern, with almost 7 in 10 providers saying they are extremely or very concerned about finding staff to hire/staffing shortages, and 51 percent reporting waiting lists for their programs. COVID-19	Read Resource Featured
Parents and Voters Support Afterschool and Summer for All (February 2023) In a second brief highlighting results from an online poll of registered voters, conducted by Lake Research Partners November 9-14, 2022, this document includes both voter and parent opinions on afterschool and summer programs. It finds strong support for afterschool and summer programs, as well as high levels of agreement that programs are a valuable partner for schools. Surveys	Download Featured Topline