Age range

Notes: School partners include: Clark Atlanta University: The Community Education Leadership Institute in the School of Education and Morehouse College: The Adams Public Service Institute.

Mission/Goals: The goals of the Extended Services School are to enable students to become more successful learners and productive citizens, and to offer families opportunities for support and enrichment.

Notes: WEPIC aims to produce comprehensive, university-assisted community schools that serve, educate, and activate all members of the community, revitalizing the curriculum through a community-oriented, real-world, problem-solving approach. The program provides academically based community service activities, such as graduate and undergraduate interns who work in schools to provide educational assistance and mentoring to youth.

Type of Evaluation: Pre/Post Test; Outcomes Monitoring

Note: This evaluation assesses the Extended-Service Schools (ESS) Initiative which involves 60 after school programs in 20 communities, each of which is based on 1 of 4 model programs: Beacons, Community Schools, Bridges to Success, and the West Philadelphia Improvement Corporation.

Objective: To determine who participated in after school programs, the quality of programs, the benefits to youth participants, and the cost of program operation.

Impact/Outcomes: The evaluation of the ESS Initiative reported the following: over time, the programs helped youth stay out of trouble; increased students' sense of belonging at school; youth paid more attention in class; youth skipped fewer classes; programs helped youth make friends and get along better; youth felt less shy around adults; youth learned more skills; participants expanded their interests; and increased their self-confidence. Programs were also found to benefit parents by reducing stress and allowing for more time and flexibility in parents' work schedules and jobs.