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Statewide Program Evaluation of 21st CCLC Grants: Oregon Department of Education

Year Published: 2012

A statewide evaluation of Oregon's 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs during the 2010-2011 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 disciplinary incidents among students who regularly participated in the programs—students who participated in the program at least 30 days. Additionally, examining the organizational practices of Oregon's 21st CCLCs, evaluators found that programs were well-managed and provided a positive climate for students, that staff engaged in positive interactions with students, and that staff "demonstrated mid- to high-range skills in behavioral management—mostly utilizing proactive, positive, and effective behavior management strategies."

Program Name: Oregon 21st Century Community Learning Centers

Program Description:

Oregon’s 21st Century Community Learning Center program—which receives federal support through the 21st CCLC initiative—serves high-need communities across the state, providing local afterschool and summer programming to 44 grantees operating 128 centers during the 2010-11 school year. Across all sites, 26,719 students were served.

Scope of the Evaluation: Statewide

Program Type: Afterschool

Location: Oregon

Community Type: Rural, Urban, Suburban

Grade level: Elementary School, Middle School, High School

Program Demographics:

All schools served by Oregon'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 Oregon's 21st CCLC program, 65 percent qualified for Free and Reduced Price Lunch. Half of students enrolled in the program identified as white, 35 percent identified as Hispanic/Latino, 7 percent identified as black/African American, 5 percent identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, and less than one percent of participants identified their race or ethnicity as American Indian/Alaskan Native.  

Program Website: https://www.oregon.gov/ode/schools-and-districts/grants/ESEA/21stCCLC/Pages/Grants-Guidance.aspx

Evaluator: Moroney, D., Marchand, J., Naftzger, N., Liu, F., Vinson, M., & Sparr, M. American Institutes for Research.

Evaluation Methods:

This evaluation used Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills reading and math scores, number of school day disciplinary incidents, number of school day absences, and student demographic data collected by the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to assess the academic and behavioral impact of regular participation in Oregon's 21st Century Community Learning Center programs. ODE identified students not participating in 21st CCLC programming, allowing researchers to compare 21st CCLC participants to non-participants. Additionally, data collected from program observations and site coordinator and teacher surveys were used to assess the program's organizational practices.

Evaluation Type: Quasi-experimental

Summary of Outcomes:

The evaluation of Oregon's 21st CCLC programs during the 2010-11 academic year found statistically significant positive impacts in math achievement and disciplinary incidents among students who regularly participated in the programs—students who participated in the program at least 30 days. Regarding academic outcomes, regularly attending 21st CCLC students scored an average of .567 points higher on state mathematics exams compared to non-participating students. 21st CCLC students attending the program for at least 60 days showed a statistically significant impact on their number of disciplinary incidents at school, where their number of disciplinary incidents decreased 5 percent. Among students attending the program for at least 30 days, 8th graders saw a 12 percent decrease in the number of disciplinary days and 11th graders saw approximately a 3 percent decrease. Statistically significant effects of participation in Oregon's 21st CCLC programs on reading achievement was not found.

There were mixed findings for school day attendance, where regularly attending 21st CCLC 11th grade students saw a statistically significant positive effect on school day absences, with an approximate 4 percent decrease in days absent. However, regularly attending 21st CCLC 4th and 10th grade students saw a statistically significant, but small in magnitude, 2.4 percent and 5.8 percent increase in absences. 

Examining the organizational practices of Oregon's 21st CCLCs, evaluators found that programs were well-managed and provided a positive climate for students, that staff engaged in positive interactions with students, and that staff “demonstrated mid- to high-range skills in behavioral management—mostly utilizing proactive, positive, and effective behavior management strategies.” Areas of improvement included staff's ability to encourage active engagement, providing participant led activities, and staff sensitivity to students' needs and problems. 

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The Afterschool Impacts Database is a project of the Afterschool Alliance.

The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality afterschool programs.