New York City students who attended middle school after-school programs had better attendance in ninth grade, and earned more credits, than students who did not, according to an independent analysis of students in after-school programs supported by The After-School Corporation (TASC).
Students who regularly participated in TASC after-school programs in grades six, seven and/or eight spent almost seven days more, on average, attending ninth grade than non-participants from the same middle schools, researchers for Policy Studies Associates found. In tenth grade, program participants attended school for approximately six days more, compared to nonparticipants. They also earned more credits toward graduation in ninth grade.
"This new research bears out what we see every day. Kids who attend high quality after-school programs in middle school get off to a strong start in ninth grade, which puts them on the track to succeed in high school instead of dropping out," said TASC president Lucy N. Friedman.
"We know that many kids stumble in the transition from middle school to high school. And we've seen the research from Chicago and other cities that shows that we can help kids stay off the drop-out track by helping them make that transition successfully," Friedman said.
"So if we want to help more kids succeed in high school, we've got to give more of them access to expanded learning opportunities in middle school. But we also need to give them continuity by engaging more of them in strong after-school programs in high school."
The study, After-School Programs and High School Success: Analysis of Post-Program Educational Patterns of Former Middle-Grades TASC Participants, was funded by the C.S. Mott Foundation as part of its national research agenda in the after-school field. The study examined whether kids' experiences in TASC programs were associated with measurable achievements during the high school years, when compared to achievements of similar students who did not participate in a TASC program. Researchers examined the experiences of kids who finished middle school in 2002 and entered the high school class of 2006.
TASC is a nonprofit organization that supports daily after-school programs operated by community-based organizations in New York City public schools. TASC programs operate for three hours a day, every day school is in session, and open enrollment to every child in a school. They offer a mix of academic and homework help activities with arts, movement, community service and other enriching experiences. TASC has served more than 300,000 New York City kids in 322 citywide after-school programs since 1998.
The study compared students who attended TASC programs with students in the same middle schools who did not participate, and with students in similar middle schools that had no TASC after-school programs.
The findings are consistent with other recent studies that examine how after-school programs might benefit middle school and high school students. Evidence from research involving youth who participated in LA's BEST, a citywide after-school program in Los Angeles that is similar to TASC, found that benefits of after-school participation were maintained after students left the programs and entered high school. In particular, students who had participated in LA's BEST posted higher academic achievement and lower engagement in crime during high school.
The full text of the TASC study can be found on the TASC website.
