New Mexico 21st Century Community Learning Centers Statewide Evaluation Mid - Year Report

21^st 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. 

Evaluation of an After-School Program for African-American and Hispanic Male Youth: Please Call Me Mister

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.  

The Dynamic Effects of a Summer Learning Program on Behavioral Engagement in School

This quasi-experimental study examines students who attended Aim High, a voluntary summer learning program that provided academic and social and emotional learning (SEL) supports, during 2013-2014 and/or 2014-2015 to middle school students in the San Francisco Unified School District. The study analyzes how students’ participation in the program impacts both behavioral engagement and academic achievement. Evaluators found that program participants were significantly less likely to be chronically absent and suspended, as well as have slight improvements in English/language arts state assessments and school-day attendance than their peers who did not participate in Aim High. Additionally, this study found that these effects are greatest for Aim High participants who are boys and Latinx students.

Oregon MESA: Increasing the odds of high school graduation

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.” 

Hawaii Statewide Evaluation of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program: School Year 2018-19

A statewide evaluation of Hawaii’s 21^st Century Community Learning Center (21^st CCLC) programs during the 2018-19 program year found students in the program made academic and behavioral gains. The percent of students who missed 15 or more days of school throughout the year was significantly less for 21^st CCLC participants compared to non-participants. In addition, those who participated in 21^st CCLC programs were more likely to meet or exceed proficiency in math and reading compared to non-participants.  

Aiming Higher: Assessing Higher Achievement’s Out-of-School Expansion Efforts

The study found that students who participated in the Higher Achievement afterschool and summer program over the course of two years had statistically significantly higher grades in math, English, and science, as well as higher overall GPAs, compared to a matched control group. The program appeared to be most effective for students who joined the program on grade level. The subgroup analysis also found that male students in the program also saw greater gains in math compared to girls in year one and two of the program. 

Every Summer Counts: A Longitudinal Analysis of Outcomes from the National Summer Learning Project

A longitudinal study of voluntary summer learning programs, led by five school districts located in urban communities across the country, followed students from 3^rd to 7^th grade and found positive academic gains among the randomly assigned students to the program compared to the control group of their nonparticipating peers. After the first and second summer of program participation, program attendees outperformed control-group students. Statistically significant differences were found in math achievement after the first summer, and math, language arts, and social and emotional skills after the second summer. Researchers followed up on program participants three years after the second summer of program participation and found that while academic gains compared to average gains made in a year were no longer statistically significant, they were still large enough to be meaningful.

21st Century Community Learning Centers Program Fiscal Year 2018 Year End Report (Massachusetts)

A statewide evaluation of Massachusetts’s 21^st Century Community Learning Centers (21^st CCLC) program during the 2017-18 program year found that, based on teacher ratings, program participants made gains in math and reading/English language arts achievement. Teachers and program staff also noted increases in outcomes including students’ critical thinking skills, perseverance, and communication. English language learners, students receiving special education services, and economically disadvantaged students made particularly strong gains for certain outcomes.

Hawaii Statewide Evaluation of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program: School Year 2017-18 Evaluation Report

A statewide evaluation of Hawaii’s 21^st Century Community Learning Center (21^st CCLC) programs during the 2017-18 school year examined outcomes related to participants’ educational, social, and behavioral developments. Based on teacher reports, among students who participated in the program 30 days or more, 82 percent improved turning in the homework on time and classroom participation and 79 percent improved their behavior in class. Of the sub-grantees reporting on academic improvement, 69 percent of students regularly attending the program showed improvements in English and 72 percent saw gains in math based on teacher surveys. 

Alaska 21st Century Community Learning Centers Statewide Evaluation Report: Fiscal Year 2018

A 2019 evaluation by Education Northwest of Alaska’s 21^st Century Community Learning Center (21^st CCLC) afterschool programs found that students who participated more regularly in programs saw greater academic and behavioral gains. Teachers surveyed reported that an overwhelming majority of students attending the program for at least 60 days saw improvements in their academic performance (72 percent), participation in class (71 percent), and ability to persevere through challenges (66 percent), as well as their ability to form positive relationships with adults (70 percent) and work collaboratively with peers (68 percent).