When Elementary Schools Stay Open Late: Results From the National Evaluation of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program

This article presents evidence from a national evaluation of the effects of 21st Century Community Learning Center afterschool programs. The study was conducted in 12 school districts and 26 after-school centers, at which 2,308 elementary school students who were interested in attending a center were randomly assigned either to the treatment or control group. The findings indicate that the programs affected the type of care and supervision students received after school, with parents less likely to be caring for their child and other adults more likely, but there was no statistically significant effect on the incidence of self-care. Students in the program reported feeling safer after school, but their academic outcomes were not affected and they had more incidents of negative behavior.