Outcomes Linked to High-Quality Afterschool Programs: Longitudinal Findings from the Study of Promising Afterschool Programs

Abstract

Summary A new study by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Policy Studies Associates, Inc. finds that regular participation in high-quality afterschool programs is linked to significant gains in standardized test scores and work habits as well as reductions in behavior problems among disadvantaged students. These gains help offset the negative impact of a lack of supervision after school. The two-year study followed almost 3,000 low-income, ethnically diverse elementary and middle school students from eight states in six major metropolitan centers and six smaller urban and rural locations. About half of the young people attended high-quality afterschool programs at their schools or in their communities. Background on the Study The Study of Promising Afterschool Programs was designed to examine relations between high-quality afterschool programs and desired academic and behavioral outcomes for low-income students. The study was grounded in an assets orientation, which understands that all young people, including those living in poverty, have capacities to make healthy, positive choices if given the opportunity. The research team reviewed previous research on child and youth development in order to depict the processes that lead to positive student outcomes, as shown in Exhibit 1.

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