The Effects of a Systematic Approach to Improving Quality in Afterschool Programs: An Impact Evaluation to Inform the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) Program

This evaluation was to have included a descriptive study of grantees and an impact study to determine the effectiveness of a specific strategy designed to improve student and grantee outcomes. The national description of program activities was to have been based on a survey of a nationally representative sample of 250 21st CCLC afterschool centers. To assess the effectiveness of the continuous quality improvement (CQI) system, approximately 100 21st CCLC afterschool centers were recruited to participate in the impact study. Half of the participating centers were selected by lottery to implement the CQI system supported by the study for two school years, and half continued their normally planned program. The impact study would have compared staff practices and student outcomes for the two groups of centers. Information was also collected about program operations and staff training and experiences with the CQI system. Data collection included afterschool center director interviews, an afterschool staff survey, observations of program quality at each center, student survey and afterschool attendance records, administrative school records, and a school-day teacher survey.