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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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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 compilation of evaluations of afterschool programs looking at academic outcomes, student behavior and parental concerns about children’s safety.	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
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: 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 National Report: The Most In-Depth Study of How America's Children Spend their Afternoons (Oct 2009) 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 discusses how children are spending their time afterschool, highlights differences between ethnic and socioeconomic groups, and focuses on findings at the state level.	Download
Afterschool Supports Students' Success (May 2016) Afterschool programs across the county are inspiring learning, providing safe and supportive environments, and giving students the essential supports they need to succeed in school and beyond. This fact sheet and accompanying appendix highlights research that shows that afterschool programs are helping support students’ success.	Download Appendix
Afterschool Rising to Challenges Brought by the Pandemic - Waves 1-6 (February 2022) Beginning in late spring 2020 and through late 2021, the six waves of Afterschool Alliance’s Afterschool in the Time of COVID-19 online survey, conducted by Edge Research, documents afterschool and summer programs’ operating status, services, and challenges throughout COVID-19. The series demonstrates that through the ups and downs of the pandemic, what has remained constant is the ability of the afterschool field to rise to moment and meet the needs of the children and families in their communities. Surveys COVID-19	Read Resource Featured
Afterschool Programs Support Learning Recovery But Struggle with Staffing and Program Costs (April 2024) A survey of 1,116 afterschool program providers, conducted between October 31 and December 5, 2023, finds that afterschool programs are keeping young people connected, engaged, and inspired, but also continue to face challenges largely due to staffing and program costs. For programs that have been able to obtain federal pandemic relief funds, these funds have helped them keep their doors open, take steps to enhance staff recruitment and retention efforts, serve more students, and expand programming. However, as the end of this federal funding approaches, providers are very concerned about their future sustainability. Evaluations	Download Featured
Afterschool Programs Open, but Still Recovering Post-Pandemic (February 2023) In a survey of 1,016 afterschool program providers, conducted between October 24 and November 30, 2022, more than 9 in 10 report that they are open, with majorities providing their students with opportunities for academic enrichment, collaboration and connection with their peers, building foundational skills, and leadership opportunities. However, while providers are increasingly reporting that they have been able to return to pre-COVID capacity limits, there are still nearly 1 in 4 providers who say that they have not been able to return to their regular operational capacity. Surveys COVID-19	Download Featured Topline