A project of the Afterschool Alliance.

Evaluation of the New Hampshire 21st Century Community Learning Centers: Findings from the 2011-12 School Year

Year Published: 2012

A statewide evaluation of New Hampshire’s 21st CCLC program’s impact on participating students’ academic and social development during the 2011-12 school year. Data was collected using student, teacher, and principal surveys. Key findings of the report include that participation in New Hampshire’s 21st CCLC programs improved students’ academic performance, such as homework completion, math and literacy skills, and class participation, as well as students’ social skills and behavior. Principals surveyed almost unanimously agreed that the 21st CCLC programs enhanced the overall effectiveness of the school at least to some extent. The report also found that an overwhelming percentage of students reported feeling safe in the program.

Program Name: New Hampshire’s 21st CCLC program

Program Description: New Hampshire’s 21st CCLC program—which has received federal support through the 21st CCLC initiative—serves high-needs communities across the state, providing local afterschool and summer programming to 23 grantees operating a total of 68 centers. During the 2011-12 school year, 8,445 students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade were served. The number of students enrolled in each program ranged from 27 to 387, for an average of 133 students served per center.

Scope of the Evaluation: Statewide

Program Type: Afterschool

Location: New Hampshire

Program Demographics: Fifty-five percent of participating students were eligible for free or reduced price lunch. Seventy-seven percent of participants were Caucasian, 11 percent were Hispanic, 5 percent were African-American, 3 percent were Asian or Pacific Islander, 3 percent were multiracial, and 1 percent were Native American. Sixteen percent of participants were special needs students, and 8 percent were English Language Learners. Fifty percent of participants were girls.

Program Website: http://education.nh.gov/instruction/integrated/21stcclc-grant-competition.htm

Evaluator: Russel, C. A. & Woods, Y. Policy Studies Associates, Inc.

Evaluation Methods: Student outcomes were measured based on data collection through student, teacher, and principal surveys.

Evaluation Type: Non-experimental

Summary of Outcomes:

The statewide evaluation of New Hampshire’s 21st CCLC afterschool programs found that students who attended the afterschool programs showed improvements in their academic performance during the school day, based on teacher reports. Teachers reported that 64 percent of students who attended the program were more successful in finishing their homework and 60 percent of students increased their level of class participation. Approximately 9 in 10 principals reported that the 21st CCLC programs contributed to improved literacy skills, math skills, and other academic areas.

The evaluation also found that principals reported improvements in behavior and engagement in school among students participating in the 21st CCLC programs. An overwhelming majority of principals reported that the 21st CCLC programs improved students’ attitudes toward school (98 percent), enhanced students’ social skills (97 percent), improved students’ behavior (95 percent), boosted students’ motivation to learn (93 percent), and improved students’ school day attendance (89 percent).

Regarding safety, the study found that 93 percent of principals said that the program increases school safety and 89 percent of students in the program reported feeling safe in the program most or all of the time.

Student surveys indicated that a majority of program participants like school always or most of the time and do well in school. Eighty-seven percent of participants said they finish their homework all or most of the time, 81 percent said they get good grades, 81 percent said they do well on tests, and 81 percent said they understand how to do their homework.

Regarding college and career readiness, 67 percent of students said they know what they may want to study in college, 66 percent said they understand the course requirements to graduate from high school all or most of the time, and 55 percent said that they understand the requirements for entering college. Almost 50 percent felt their programs helped them become more aware of different jobs and careers.

Associated Evaluation: http://www.education.nh.gov/instruction/integrated/documents/ccl-report-final.pdf

Date Added: September 16, 2016