 Read the newest evaluation report from Policy Studies Associates or highlights of our recent results. Since 2001, Citizen Schools has engaged Policy Studies Associates, a national leader in non-profit evaluation, to conduct a longitudinal study of Citizen Schools' program and impact. The study compares students who participate in Citizen Schools after-school programs to similar students who do not participate, following both groups from middle school into high school.
PSA's findings demonstrate that Citizen Schools is effective in engaging at-risk middle school students and building a bridge to high school success.
Citizen Schools engages at-risk students in middle school, creating momentum during these difficult years, reversing the "middle school slide," and leading to academic gains.
- Citizen Schools serves low-income students, with 90% of students eligible for free or reduced price lunch.
- Sixth and seventh graders with regular program attendance earned better grades than matched peers in English and math and scored higher on a state English exam during their first year in the program, all at statistically significant levels.
- Among sixth- and seventh-grade students who attended Citizen Schools regularly, differences in school attendance rates were particularly positive (95% for participants vs. 90% for peers, amounting to an additional nine school days during their first year of participation).
Citizen Schools bridges the transition from middle school to high school and improves performance in core academic courses and high-stakes tests well after students graduate from the program.
- High school choice: Citizen Schools participants are much more likely than their peers to enroll in top-tier college-track high schools: 59% of Citizen Schools participants select such schools, compared to 28% of similar peers.
- Attendance: Students who participated in Citizen Schools in middle school continue to attend school at higher rates in high school. In 8th grade, Citizen Schools students attended school 92% of the time, compared to 86% for the matched comparison group, a statistically significant difference that amounts to 11 additional school days. This difference in attendance persisted into high school, with statistically significant differences in 9th grade (89% vs. 81%, or 14 days) and 10th grade (88% vs. 83%, or nine days).
- Grades: In 10th grade, a higher percentage of participants than matched nonparticipants earned A's or B's in their English courses (46% to 26%) and their math courses (36% to 28%).
- High-stakes tests: Although Citizen Schools students perform worse on state tests than the school district overall in fourth grade, they earn higher scores on the 10th grade exams in English Language Arts and math that are required for high school graduation. PSA compares Citizen Schools participants to district students, excluding from both groups those students who attend selective exam schools. In 10th grade, 40% of Citizen Schools participants achieve proficiency on the English exam, compared to 28% for the district. On the math exam, 41% of Citizen Schools participants achieve proficiency, compared to 30% for the district.
Citizen Schools' impact is not consistent across every indicator or subgroup. We know that much work remains to be done. Overall, however, the numbers stand in stark contrast to several highly publicized evaluations of after-school programs, which found consistently far lower levels of participation and noted little change in students' school performance or trajectory. Our external evaluation sets a high standard for the field, in terms of both methodology and results.
Over the next three years we plan to take major leaps in growing our evaluation work at the same pace as the Citizen Schools network. As our organization becomes national in scope, so too must our evaluation. Citizen Schools will continue to share its learning, since our results are the centerpiece of our efforts to improve our impact. We believe our results convey the impact that Citizen Schools can make—and a level of rigor and accountability that is greatly needed across the after-school sector and the entire education landscape.
Please click here for highlights of our results, including results from our evaluation by Policy Studies Associates.
Please click here for the full Phase V report.
Read previous reports from the Policy Studies Associates evaluation of Citizen Schools:
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NEW!
Research Brief: Expanded Learning Time In 2006-07, Citizen Schools partnered with three of ten Massachusetts schools that participated in the state's Expanded Learning Time (ELT) pilot, increasing learning time for their students by at least 30%. Policy Studies Associates recently completed a research brief on the implementation and performance of these three schools (the Edwards and Umana schools in Boston and the Salemwood School in Malden). According to the brief:
Examination of the schools' test performance on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) found consistent evidence of improved student learning, indicating the strong potential for the ELT initiative to help improve achievement for students who are struggling academically. The improvement in math performance is particularly notable, especially among students with the greatest learning needs.
Citizen Schools programming contributed to these learning improvements in three major ways. First, Citizen Schools' trained staff extended the work of classroom teachers delivering academic instruction, particularly through the provision of opportunities for students to apply emerging academic skills in varied contexts. Second, Citizen Schools created settings and activities in which students could develop the personal traits needed to take maximum advantage of enhanced academic learning opportunities. These traits included interpersonal skills and academic motivation. Third, Citizen Schools contributed significantly to the mobilization of external resources that could bridge the gaps separating schools, families, and the community.
Read the full research brief.
Learn more about Expanded Learning Time.
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