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School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

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After-school Programs Help Achievement

After-School Programs Help Achievement

There is a lot of interest in providing high quality after-school programs for middle school youth so they can use this time creatively and productively.

UW-Madison education professor Deborah Vandell and colleagues studied the degree of engagement in after-school programs of nearly 200 8th grade students from 8 schools in three Midwestern communities. The study found that:

  1. Students were much more likely to be doing homework, participating in sports, involved in academic enrichment or arts activities, and doing community service when they were at programs than when they were home or somewhere else.
  2. Students spent a much greater percentage of time with peers and supervised by adults while attending an after-school program. Otherwise, they just spent a lot of time talking with friends, and little time in productive activity.
  3. Attending after-school programs and being engaged in structured activities are also expected to affect academic, developmental, and/or behavior outcomes.