A project of the Afterschool Alliance.

Chicago After-School All-Stars

Year Published: 2009

This quasi-experimental study examined 75,000 Chicago After-School All-Stars (ASAS) participants from 2012-2014, comparing them to non-participating students in Chicago Public Schools. The study found that Chicago ASAS students saw improvements in their school day attendance and school day behavior compared to their non-participating peers, where Chicago ASAS students saw an 18 percent decrease in school day absences and were 22 percent less likely to be suspended than students not in the program.

Program Name: After-School All-Stars

Program Description: After-School All-Stars (ASAS), founded in 1992, is a provider of comprehensive afterschool programs to more than 70,000 youth across the nation. The goal of this program is to provide support to traditionally underserved youth, helping youth be safe and healthy, graduate from high school and go on to college, find a career that they love, and give back to the community. In 2016, when this record was created, After-School All-Stars in Chicago served 32,000 youth at 169 schools.

Scope of the Evaluation: Local

Program Type: Afterschool

Location: Chicago, IL

Community Type: Urban

Grade level: Elementary School, Middle School

Program Demographics: In 2016, when this record was created, fifty-four percent of Chicago’s After-School All-Stars are girls, 48 percent are Latino/a, 33 percent are African-American, 12 percent are Caucasian, five percent are Asian, and two percent were other. Eighty-three percent of youth qualify for free or reduced price lunch.

Program Website: http://asaschicago.org/

Evaluator: Jones, C. J.

Evaluation Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, a total of 75,000 Chicago After-School All-Stars (ASAS) participants from 2012-2014 were compared to non-participating students in the Chicago Public Schools using data collected from three sources: an end of year survey distributed to all 3rd through 8th grade students eligible to participate in the ASAS program; a Student Connection Survey, administered to all 6th through 12th grade students; and administrative data on student behavior, school day attendance and performance.

Evaluation Type: Quasi-experimental

Summary of Outcomes: The study found that Chicago After-School All-Stars (ASAS) students saw improvements in their school day attendance and school day behavior compared to their non-participating peers. Chicago ASAS students’ school day absences decreased by 18 percent and their chronic absenteeism decreased by 14 percent, compared to non-participating students. Chicago ASAS participants were also 22 percent less likely to be suspended than non-participating students, and made significantly greater gains in reading and math achievement than non-participants.

Associated Evaluation: http://asaschicago.org/programs/outcomes/

Date Added: November 3, 2016