Study Brief

This is a longitudinal study on the effect of LA’s BEST on educational attainment and juvenile crime. Sophisticated analyses were conducted as detailed below. In short, results indicated that students who participated at a higher rate in LA’s BEST had significantly lower incidences of juvenile crime. Cost-benefit analyses indicated an average saving of $2.50 to each $1.00 invested in the program. There has been widespread interest in the impact of after-school programs on youth development in the past few years, especially in the area of impact on juvenile crime. However, definitive evaluations have been impeded by a lack of accurate longitudinal student data and limited funding opportunities for comprehensive program evaluations. Funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) at UCLA studied the effects of the LA’s BEST after-school program on juvenile crime. Using eight years of data from approximately 6,000 total students, CRESST researchers examined the program’s effect on student achievement, juvenile crime, and cost effectiveness. The findings on academic achievement benefits are inconsistent.1 Although overall differences in juvenile crime, such as felonies, and misdemeanors were not significant, more sophisticated analysis found LA’s BEST had impact. That is, students who participated at a higher rate in LA’s BEST, had significantly lower incidences of juvenile crime. Economic implications were also examined. The economic benefits of the program exceed its costs; that is, every dollar invested in the LA’s BEST program resulted in a savings in juvenile crime costs of approximately $2.50. The study is based on a number of assumptions that are detailed in the executive summary and full report. Background Each year hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on funding after-school programs in the United States. For the 2003 fiscal year, Congress appropriated approximately one billion 1 See full report for detail