The Summer and Afterschool Needs Assessment helps youth serving programs and organizations learn best practices and identify areas where they might benefit from guidance or support. The Needs Assessment draws from the best available evidence on what constitutes high-quality afterschool and summer learning programs and organizes these Success…

This article explores issues that had to be confronted over a three-year period in terms of two New York State funded grants for which I was the evaluator. Major, critical challenges are presented, described, and discussed. Specifically, the paper addresses issues related to lack of planning at the grant design stage that resulted in challenges…

Structured afterschool programs are often perceived as a service for young children only. Communities often overlook teenagers, expecting more substantial benefits from investments in programs for younger children (Hall & Gruber, 2007). Of about 8.4 million children participating in afterschool programs nationwide, only 1 million are high…

After-school programs receive federal support through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, established in 1999. A primary purpose of the program is to provide opportunities for academic enrichment to help students meet state and local standards in core content areas. Findings from a previous national evaluation of the program indicate that…

As part of afterschool programs with homework assistance, students are provided with a location and time to complete their homework, as well as instructional assistance. This mixed-method study investigated the program content and delivery processes of seven high-functioning homework programs. Results of this study revealed that in addition to…

This purpose of this report is to examine the role of after school and summer learning programs in supporting student success and to help bridge the divide between out-of-school time programs and schools by offering research-derived principles for effective expanded learning partnership efforts. Discussion points include: (1) Benefits of expanded…

In 2004, the U.S. Department of Education's Policy and Program Studies Service contracted with SRI International and its partner, Policy Studies Associates, to undertake an evaluation of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers. The following evaluation questions informed this study: (1) What is the nature of activities in centers that are…

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program has supported after-school programs since 1998. Research on the effects of after-school programs has been inconclusive, leading to an ongoing debate about the effects of after-school programs. To examine the implementation of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers after-school program and…

The Whitney Young Learning Center (WYLC) is an after-school homework assistance and tutoring program for students in grades 6-12 in north and northeast Portland, Oregon. The program strives to help students achieve academic success and become self-directed learners with enhanced racial pride and self-esteem. During 1986-87, the WYLC program…

To expand and improve after-school opportunities for children, New Jersey After 3 (NJ After 3) has sought to develop and implement a comprehensive system of high-quality after-school programs throughout the state. Specifically, NJ After 3 seeks to increase the number of after-school programs in New Jersey that provide a safe environment for…

The New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) launched services under its Out-of-School Time (OST) Programs for Youth in September 2005, with the award of funds to support more than 500 programs across New York City. Together, DYCD and the city's nonprofit community, working closely with the New York City Department of…

The purpose of this report is to describe the programs that make up Oregon's Disadvantaged Child Project (DCP) and document the ways in which students benefited from participation. The DCP was established in 1967 to provide supplemental services to children in low-income and culturally deprived areas. The project contains three major components:…

The OSAP High Risk Youth Demonstration Program of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is directed toward the prevention of substance abuse through experiences offered in an after-school program. This is the second year that the program has been implemented in the six elementary schools and one middle school of the Mississippi Choctaw…