After School Activities

Talking Points from the SRCD Briefs

• Research suggests that children and adolescents spend an average of about five hours a week on organized activities, and after-school programs have been shown to improve key academic, social, and emotional outcomes. 
• A growing emphasis on accountability standards, coupled with the “No Child Left Behind” legislation, is putting pressure on after school programs to help educators boost academic outcomes for students. 
  • Research shows that while after-school programs can positively impact academic performance, many do not. Some argue that these programs should focus on academics, while others caution that doing so could turn them into poorly implemented extensions of the school day. Improving effectiveness is challenging, as most staff are part-time, earn modest wages, and only receive legally required benefits, leading to high staff turnover in after-school programs 
• Much of the funding for after-school programs comes from education budgets and is administered by state and local education agencies. 
• Research indicates that many conventional after-school programs have little impact on outcomes compared to other community services. However, effective programs are student-driven, focus on improving staff-youth interactions, include continuous staff development, and have clear, explicit goals.