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Version 1.3 – Updated November 2024

After-school programs

Overview

  • Influence: After-school programs
  • Domain: Technology, School, and Out-of-School Strategies
  • Sub-Domain: Out-of-school
  • Potential to Accelerate Student Achievement: Likely to have positive impact
  • Influence Definition: Private and publicly funded after-school programs have been created to solve three social problems: to prevent students from spending long periods of time home alone after school; to provide students struggling academically with more time to learn important elements of the curriculum; and to reduce crime and victimhood during after-school hours.

Evidence

  • Number of meta-analyses: 10
  • Number of studies: 350
  • Number of students: 520,294
  • Number of effects: 1,000
  • Weighted mean effect size: 0.27
  • Robustness index: 4

Meta-Analyses

Meta-Analyses
Journal Title Author First Author's Country Article Name Year Published Variable Number of Studies Number of Students Number of Effects Effect Size
American Journal of Evaluation Scott-Little, Hamann, & Jurs USA Evaluations of After-School Programs: A Meta-Evaluation of Methodologies and Narrative Synthesis of Findings 2002 After school care programs 6 0 6 0.18
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning Durlak, Weisberg, & Panchan USA The Impact of After-School Programs that Promote Personal and Social Skills 2010 After school programs 73 0 45 0.13
Dissertation Crawford USA Meta-Analysis of the Impact of After-School Programs on Students Reading and Mathematics Performance 2011 After school programs 23 40,745 23 0.40
American Journal of Community Psychology Durlak &Weissberg USA A meta-analysis of after-school programs that seek to promote personal and social skills in children and adolescents 2007 After school care programs 45 0 45 0.21
Conference paper Peters, Maynard, Vaughn & Sarteschi USA Are After-School Programs Effective? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of After-School Programs 2014 After school care programs 44 0 44 0.17
Dissertation Christensen USA A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effects of After-School Programs on Academic, Social, Behavioral, Mental Health, and Identity Outcomes Among Youth With Marginalized Identities 2022 After school with marginalized students 56 128,538 615 0.20
Journal of Curriculum Evaluation Jang Korea A meta-analysis of effects of after-school programs on secondary school students. 2018 After school with secondary students 32 0 32 0.58
Journal of youth and adolescence Lester, Chow, & Melton USA Quality is critical for meaningful synthesis of afterschool program effects: a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2020 After school care programs 30 347,683 130 0.23
Educational Administration: Theory and Practice Yoon Korea Educational Outcomes of After-School Programs in Korea: A Meta-Analysis.  2023 After school care programs 23 3,328 23 0.67
Science Insights Education Frontiers Yao, Li, Wu, & Wei China Effects of after-school programs on student cognitive and non-cognitive abilities: A meta-analysis based on 37 experimental and quasi-experimental studies. 2023 After school care programs 18 0 37 0.37
TOTAL/AVERAGE 350 520,294 1,000 0.31
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