Evaluation Model for the 21st Century Community Learning Center After School Program

ABSTRACT\ud EVALUATION MODEL FOR THE 21ST CENTURY COMMUNITY\ud LEARNING CENTER AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM\ud by\ud Nancy Avram\ud Master of Arts in Recreation Administration\ud California State University, Chico\ud Fall 2009\ud The purpose of the study was to develop an evaluation model for the 21st Century Community Learning Center After School Programs. This study was conducted to provide evidence that these after school programs are having a positive academic affects on the children that attend these programs.\ud An quasi-experimental design was conducted to determine whether the after school program was having an impact on students. Results from the California Standards Test 2007-2008 school year from the children that attended the program were imported into SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Science) for analyses. Frequency counts for each question were run utilizing this software package. In addition, t-test of dependent variables, such as the scores on the CST pretest and posttest, and independent variables, being the after school program, were run.\ud xii\ud The parent survey will be a separate evaluation that is not part of the quasi-experimental design, but is a subjective parental evaluation of the treatment which is the after school program. Results from the parent survey will be used to triangulate data results that corresponded with the results from the quasi-experimental design.\ud The study subjects consisted of 133 parents of students who were enrolled in a Chapman Elementary/ Dorothy Johnson Center after school program located in Chico, California. The experimental group, which consisted of 80 students, took both the pretest and posttest California Standards Test and were enrolled in the after school program.\ud The independent variable was the after school program. The dependent variables were the scores on the pretest and posttest of the California Standards Test. The dependant variables were obtained through the Unified Chico School District.\ud A t-test for the dependent variables means was utilized as the statistical technique to determine if there was a significant difference of academic outcomes from the children who attended the after school program.\ud The results of the investigation indicated there was a significant difference in the academic achievement in the English/language Arts and math from the children who attended the after school program. The results from the parent survey supported the findings from the t-test.CSU, Chic