About 8 million students in the United States attend a supervised program after they leave school (Durlak et al., 2010). These after-school programs range from homework assistance, to organized recreational games, to specific academically-oriented skills-training, and to prevention activities. The United States government spends approximately $1 billion annually to support after-school programs (US Department of Education, 2009). Research substantiates that children can receive both academic and psychological benefits from such group prevention programs. Yet, most after-school programs do not lead to academic success, help improve student grades, or prevent students from failing.
To improve program quality, it is important to move beyond after-school programs that serve as child care facilities or recreation centers, or that measure success only by attendance figures. Attendance neither assures success nor measures a program's quality. Engagement, not attendance, leads to successful outcomes and program quality. Engagement incorporates both the motivation to get involved as well as active interaction and cognitive involvement. Research does not show that simply offering a wide variety of activities increases program quality. Staff training has also not led to improvement in program quality, even when training hours were increased. Evidence-based programs also do not guarantee program quality either, since poor implementation can obstruct the benefits of an evidence-based program.
For more information on how to develop after-school programs that do improve academic performance, see my book:
To improve program quality, it is important to move beyond after-school programs that serve as child care facilities or recreation centers, or that measure success only by attendance figures. Attendance neither assures success nor measures a program's quality. Engagement, not attendance, leads to successful outcomes and program quality. Engagement incorporates both the motivation to get involved as well as active interaction and cognitive involvement. Research does not show that simply offering a wide variety of activities increases program quality. Staff training has also not led to improvement in program quality, even when training hours were increased. Evidence-based programs also do not guarantee program quality either, since poor implementation can obstruct the benefits of an evidence-based program.
For more information on how to develop after-school programs that do improve academic performance, see my book:
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