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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 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.
21st Century Community Learning Centers across the state served almost 7,000 students who participated in 396,739 hours of activities during the fall 2021 semester. Almost half (49 percent) of all participants earned a B or better during the first grading period in both math and English/reading. In evaluators’ preliminary findings, they noted that there were, “substantial gains in students’ English/Reading scores” comparing the first two grading periods during the 2021-22 school year.
A 2022 evaluation of South Carolina’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program found that there was a positive impact on academic and behavioral outcomes among students regularly attending the program compared to their non-participating peers and students who attended programming less regularly, with greater gains associated with higher levels of program participation. Regular program participants performed better on state standardized tests in math and saw reductions in unexcused absences and disciplinary incidents. Teacher surveys revealed that regular attendees needing improvement showed growth in their academic performance, class participation, homework completion, motivation to learn, interaction with others, and classroom behavior.
Nebraska’s 21st CCLC programming resulted in positive outcomes for students despite challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most students participating in the 21st CCLC programs saw moderate to significant improvement in math (75 percent), science (74 percent), reading (74 percent), and writing (69 percent) from the fall to the spring. Additionally, a majority of students saw improvement in their behavior (61 percent) and ability to get along with other students (56 percent), based on teacher surveys. Many students reported that their programs help them learn new things (81 percent), and parents overwhelmingly agreed that afterschool programs were a benefit to their children.
This study found that students who participated in the Sacramento 4-H Water Wizards program from 2012-2016 had a better understanding of water science and a heightened awareness of water issues and conservation behavior. Program staff reported a higher level of understanding around content knowledge (different aspects of water science) and teaching pedagogy (teaching science in an inquiry-based way), as well as increased enjoyment of science. Evaluators found that including training sessions, teaching materials, and coaching opportunities throughout the program for staff helped contribute to the program's success, and 80 percent of staff said they would teach the program again.
This study focused on 978 participants who were part of a longitudinal study and followed from ages 15 to 26, finding that how high schoolers spend their time during out-of-school time hours is predictive of substance use in young adulthood. The analysis found that unsupervised out-of-school time with peers during high school was highly related to problematic substance use–such as binge drinking, regular marijuana use, and illicit drug use– in adulthood, while participation in organized activities in high schools, such as arts, academic clubs, and community service, served as a protective function against illicit drug use, reducing the likelihood that these students would engage in drug use at age 26.
A 2022 evaluation of Delaware’s 21st CCLC programs found positive impacts related to participants’ academic performance and engagement as well as students’ interpersonal skills and behavior. Students, parents, and staff overwhelmingly agreed that afterschool program participation helped students improve their academic skills, and 9th-12th grade students reported feeling more connected to their school because of their program. The majority of students also reported feeling cared for and safe within their programs while also indicating that their program provides opportunities for them to develop life skills, including college and career readiness. The majority of teachers and parents reported a reduction in students’ behavioral problems as a result of participation in their 21st CCLC program