No Child Left Behind: Assessment of an After-School Program on Academic Performance Among Low-Income, at Risk Students
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2003
Keywords
after school activity programs, early intervention, academic achievement, children, legislation
Abstract
This paper reports on research conducted to assess the impact of an after-school program on academic performance among low-income, at-risk fourth grade students attending a public school in an urban setting. Using a quasi-experimental design, mean grades across seven academic subject areas were compared among students continually enrolled in the after-school program during the fall of 1998 and the spring of 1999, students enrolled in the after-school program during the fall semester only, and a comparison group consisting of program non-participants. Overall, analyses suggested that the program was effective in improving students' grades, with fall-only program participants exhibiting significantly greater improvements in math and language arts than their classmates. Students continually enrolled in the after-school program during the 1998-1999 school year also showed significantly greater improvements than the program non-participants in language arts and composite G.P.A. between grades three (pre-intervention) and four (post-intervention). These findings are especially encouraging given the limited scope and intensity of this intervention relative to other after-school programs described in the literature and suggests that after-school programs can have positive effects on the lives of students. Moreover, they offer empirical support for the potential effectiveness of some of the 'supplemental educational services' mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
Recommended Citation
Zosky, Diane L. and Crawford, Lizabeth A., "No Child Left Behind: Assessment of an After-School Program on Academic Performance Among Low-Income, at Risk Students" (2003). Faculty Publications - Social Work. 22.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/fpswk/22
Comments
This article was originally published as Zosky, D. & Crawford, L. (2003). No Child Left Behind: Assessment of an after-school program on academic performance among low-income, high risk students. School Social Work Journal, 27,2, 18-31.