Learning and Development in After-School Programs

Abstract

United States in the latter part of the 19th century. These programs often had humble beginnings in church basements, storefronts, and settlement houses. Over time, the programs proliferated and built themselves into major national organizations, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, 4-H clubs, and the YMCA/YWCA. The 40 largest national youth organizations today have a total membership of about 40 million youths. Over the past 15 years, there has been an explosion of interest in after-school programs. Many major cities, such as Chicago (After School Matters), Los Angeles (LA’s Best), and New York (The After School Corporation), have ramped up their after-school programs so that they are increasingly part of their education and youth services infrastructure. During the Clinton Administration, after-school programs began to receive dedicated funding in the federal budget under the 21st-Century Community Learning Centers Act. With the advent of No Child Left Behind, programs have increasingly emphasized academic support services. This has been controversial in the after-school community, resurfacing long-standing tensions between the goals of positive youth development, academic support, and problem prevention. On balance, participation in after-school programs has been associated with improved academic performance (grade point average, test scores) and psychosocial development (Durlak, Weissberg, and Pachan 2010; Mahoney, Vandell, Simpkins, and Zarrett 2009). Recent years have witnessed an increase in evaluation studies, but few of these evaluations have featured rigorous designs and fewer still address the integration of after-school programs with schools. How, then, do after-school programs address academic learning? How can schools and after-school programs work together for mutual benefit?