A project of the Afterschool Alliance.

New Jersey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Year 2 Report 2013-14 Program Year

Year Published: 2015

A statewide evaluation of New Jersey’s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs during the 2013-2014 school year examined academic and behavioral outcomes associated with regular participation in the program. The evaluation found statistically significant positive impacts in math achievement and reduced school day truancy incidents among students who regularly participated in the programs. Additionally, the evaluation found significant positive effects in reading achievement among regularly attending 21st CCLC students who were classified as below proficient in reading and significant positive effects in math among students classified as below proficient in math. 

Program Name: New Jersey 21st Century Community Learning Centers

Program Description:

New Jersey’s 21st Century Community Learning Center program—which receives federal support through the 21st CCLC initiative—serves high-needs communities across the state, providing local afterschool and summer programming through 52 grantees operating 120 centers and serving 16,071 students.

Scope of the Evaluation: Statewide

Program Type: Afterschool

Location: New Jersey

Community Type: Rural, Urban, Suburban

Grade level: Elementary School, Middle School, High School

Program Demographics:

All schools served by New Jersey’s 21st CCLC programs are Title I eligible, meaning more than 40 percent of students qualify for Free and Reduced Price Lunch. Of students participating in New Jersey’s 21st CCLC program, 76 percent qualified for Free and Reduced Price Lunch and 46 percent identified as Hispanic/Latino, 34 percent of identified as African American, 15 percent identified as white, 2 percent identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, and less than 1 percent of participants identified their race or ethnicity as American Indian/Alaskan Native.  

Program Website: http://www.state.nj.us/education/students/safety/afterschool/

Evaluator: Vinson, M., Sniegowski, S., & Liu, F. American Institutes for Research.

Evaluation Methods:

This evaluation used New Jersey Department of Education’s data collection system to gather program characteristics, student demographics, and attendance and outcomes data; New Jersey’s Evaluation Template and Reporting System; reading and math scores on New Jersey’s Assessment of Skills and Knowledge; and staff surveys to assess the academic and behavioral impact of participation in New Jersey’s 21st Century Community Learning Center programs. Propensity score matching was used to compare the academic performance of students in 21st CCLC programs versus non-attendees. 

Evaluation Type: Quasi-experimental;Non-experimental

Summary of Outcomes:

The evaluation of New Jersey’s 21st CCLC programs during the 2013-14 academic year found statistically significant positive impacts in math achievement and reduced school day truancy incidents among students who regularly participated in the programs—students participating in the program at least 30 days. Math achievement for both students attending 21st CCLC programs for at least 30 days and students attending 21st CCLC programs at least 70 days was higher than that of non-participants. Although effect sizes were small in math, both were significant positive results. Effect sizes were larger in math among regularly attending students who were classified as below proficient in math the previous year.

The truancy rate also decreased among regularly attending 21st CCLC students, as well as among regularly attending students who performed below proficient in reading or math. In all cases, the effect was statistically significant.

There was a significant positive effect found for reading achievement among regularly attending 21st CCLC students who were classified below proficient in reading the previous year, however, effect sizes were very small and there was no significant effect found for reading achievement among all regularly attending 21st CCLC students. The evaluation also looked at retention rates, and while a significant negative effect was found for regularly attending 21st CCLC students and regularly attending students who performed below proficient in reading, no significance was found for high attending students and regularly attending students who performed below proficient in math.

Examining the organizational practices of New Jersey’s 21st CCLC programs related to supporting the social and emotional development of youth, evaluators found that 99 percent of sites used at least one strategy to support the social-emotional development of participating students. 70 percent of sites had at least 20 percent of their fall semester activity sessions intentionally designed to support the improvement of youth development related behaviors and social emotional functioning.