21st Century Community Learning Centers: Evaluation and Implementation Issues

Publication Date: December 2003

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Education

Type:

Abstract:

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program, as reauthorized in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-110), and signed into law on January 8, 2002, is structured as formula grants to states, with local grants awarded competitively by states to eligible local entities for a period of 3 to 5 years. Recipients of 21st CCLC grants are to use them for out of school time activities that advance student academic achievement. The program's focus is now exclusively on these activities for children and youth and on educational activities for their families.

Increasing public and congressional attention has been focused on the program, in part because the 21st CCLC program has grown rapidly -- from $750,000 in funding in its first year, FY1995, to $1 billion in FY2004. Public support for after school programs is very strong; however, a recent evaluation of the 21st CCLC program based on data from the 2000-2001 school year, conducted for the U.S. Department of Education, did not find significant improvements in most academic outcomes.

The reauthorized 21st CCLC program requires state and local recipients to use funds to help students acquire the skills they need in order to meet state academic achievement standards, employing scientifically based research where relevant; and to demonstrate the success of their programs in achieving academic improvement. Several issues have arisen regarding implementation of the reauthorized program. Some of the hurdles that states and program implementers must confront in achieving academic goals include: the difficulty in securing participation by students (particularly middle schoolers) in a program focused on academics; the relatively limited amount of program time per student on average, in which to make a difference in academic achievement; and the vast divergence in after school program content and goals.

Although there is limited research to date on the 21st CCLC program itself, there is an extensive and growing body of research on after school programs more generally. This research has provided many examples of promising practices in after school programs that focus on academic improvement. Some of the elements found promising for program success are well qualified and extensively trained staff, a connection to the school day curriculum, opportunities for one on one tutoring, and a structure designed to achieve clear goals. This report will not be updated.