Study of Promising After-School Programs
Investigators, University of Wisconsin-Madison: Deborah Lowe Vandell, Kim Pierce, B. Bradford Brown
Investigators, Policy Studies Associates, Inc.: Elizabeth Reisner, Ellen Pechman
Funding: Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
Description
Measures
Reports
Presentations
Description
The Study of Promising After-School Programs was conducted by research teams at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Policy Studies Associates, Inc. The purpose of the study was to determine the short-term and long-term impacts of high-quality after-school programs on the cognitive, academic, and socioemotional development of children and adolescents in high-poverty communities. The participating after-school programs were selected following a national search for high-quality programs serving low-income students. The programs were located in 14 cities in 8 states and included 19 programs serving elementary school children and 16 programs serving middle school youth.
A total of 2,914 students (1,796 elementary, 1,118 middle school), some of whom attended the selected programs and some who did not, participated in the study. Our findings indicate that both elementary and middle school students enrolled in the after-school programs and other structured activities, compared to students who were largely unsupervised in the after-school hours, experienced relative gains in their math achievement test scores, work habits at school, and compliance at home, and relative reductions in misconduct. Elementary program participants also experienced relative gains in grades, task persistence, social skills, and prosocial behavior, and reductions in aggressive behavior, compared to their classmates who were unsupervised after school. And, middle school program participants reported relative reductions in their use of substances (alcohol, tobacco, drugs) compared to their unsupervised classmates.
Reports of our findings can be obtained by clicking on the links in the Reports section below.
Measures
Data collection in the Study of Promising After-School Programs included observations of the after-school programs and surveys completed by program directors and staff, students, teachers, and parents.
An overview of the data collection can be viewed by clicking HERE.
Program Quality
Promising Practices Rating System 
[PDF manual] [PDF documentation]
Program Director Survey [ PDF survey] [PDF documentation not available]
Program Staff Survey [PDF survey] [PDF documentation not available]
Parent Perceptions of After-School Program
After-School Environment Scale
Belonging Scale
Program & Activity Participation
After-School Activities
[PDF measure] [PDF documentation]
Parent report [PDF measure] [PDF documentation]
Student Outcomes
Academic performance (grades) [PDF documentation]
Child Adjustment Scale (work habits, peer relations, compliance)
Child Behavior Scale (aggressive, prosocial with peers)
[PDF measure] [PDF documentation]
Program staff report [PDF measure] [PDF documentation]
Educational Plans
Misconduct Scale
Self-Efficacy
Social Skills with Peers
[PDF measure] [PDF documentation]
Program staff report [PDF measure] [PDF documentation]
Substance Use
Task Persistence
[PDF measure] [PDF documentation]
Program staff report [PDF measure] [PDF documentation]
Work Habits
[PDF measure] [PDF documentation]
Teacher report [PDF measure] [PDF documentation]
Program staff report [PDF measure] [PDF documentation]
Family & Neighborhood
Family demographics
[PDF measure] [PDF documentation not available]
Neighborhood Safety
Reports
Vandell, D. L., & Reisner, E. R. (2003). The Study of Promising After-School Programs: Brief descriptive report. Report to the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. [PDF full text]
Vandell, D. L., Reisner, E. R., Brown, B. B., Pierce, K. M., Dadisman, K., & Pechman, E. M. (2004). The Study of Promising After-School Programs: Descriptive report of the promising programs. Report to the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. [PDF full text]
Vandell, D. L., Reisner, E. R., Brown, B. B., Dadisman, K., Pierce, K. M., Lee, D., & Pechman, E. M. (2005). The Study of Promising After-School Programs: Examination of intermediate outcomes in year 2. Report to the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. [PDF full text]
Vandell, D. L., Reisner, E. R., Pierce, K. M., Brown, B. B., Lee, D., Bolt, D., & Pechman, E. M. (2006). The Study of Promising After-School Programs: Examination of longer term outcomes after two years of program experiences. Report to the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. [PDF full text]
Reisner, E. R., Vandell, D. L., Pechman, E. M., Pierce, K. M., Brown, B. B., & Bolt, D. (2007). Charting the benefits of high-quality after-school program experiences: Evidence from new research on improving after-school opportunities for disadvantaged youth. Report to the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. [PDF full text]
Vandell, D. L., Reisner, E. R., & Pierce, K. M. (2007). Outcomes linked to high-quality afterschool programs: Longitudinal findings from the Study of Promising Afterschool Programs. Report to the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. [PDF full text]
Presentations
Vandell, D. L. (2005, September). What we know and what we need to know to improve program quality. Invited presentation to the After School Evaluation Symposium sponsored by the Harvard Family Research Project and the C. S. Mott Foundation, Washington, DC. [PDF Powerpoint] [PDF Powerpoint]
Vandell, D. L. (2006, June). Learning beyond the classroom. Invited presentation to the Board of Directors, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Detroit, MI. [PDF Powerpoint]
Vandell, D. L., Reisner, E. R., & Pierce, K. M. (2007, October). Outcomes linked to high-quality afterschool programs: Longitudinal findings from the Study of Promising Afterschool Programs. In The afterschool impact: Making every minute count. Policy briefing, US Congress, Capitol Hill, Washington, DC. [PDF Powerpoint]
Vandell, D. L. (2007, October). Strategies for assessing and evaluating afterschool programs. Presentation at The Bridge from School to Afterschool and Back Conference, Vancouver, WA. [PDF Powerpoint]
Vandell, D. L. (2007, October). 20 years later: Lessons learned from successful (and unsuccessful) afterschool programs. Keynote address to The Bridge from School to Afterschool and Back Conference, Vancouver, WA. [PDF Powerpoint]
