BELL After School Program

City Scan:

BELL After School Program

Approach
Out of School/ Summer	Mentoring	Tutoring	Counseling/ Therapy	School-based	Clinic/ Provider-based	Service/ Vocational learning	Parent or family component	Other
x	x	x

Outcomes
Educational/ Cognitive	Social/ Emotional	Life Skills	Physical Health	Behavior Problems	Reproductive	Citizenship	Mental Health
x	x

Background Information

Program size

Age range

Research

Program Fee?

Contact information:
BELL After School Program
60 Clayton Street
Dorchester, MA 02122

Website: www.bellnational.org

Mission/Goals: BELL was created to dramatically increase the academic achievements, self-esteem and life opportunities of elementary school children living in underserved communities by increasing their mastery of the basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic. BELL also strives to raise children's academic expectations and self-esteem; to empower parents; and to develop effective mentoring relationships between children, as well as develop positive role models.

Source(s): www.bellnational.org

Notes: BELL operates in the following Boston schools:

John Marshall Elementary School
John P. Holland Elementary School
Joseph Lee Elementary School
Mattahunt Elementary School
Maurice Tobin Elementary School
Thomas Kenny Elementary School
W.M. Trotter Elementary School

Study: BELL After School Program: 2003-2004 National Program Outcomes. Report provided by BELL and not yet available online.

Other evaluations of BELL include:
1) BASICS (Bell After-School Instructional Curriculum) Program: 2002-2003 National Program Outcomes.

2) Bell Accelerated Learning Summer Program: 2003 Program Outcomes.

BELL serves approximately 1,400 students a year in 13 schools in Boston, NYC and Washington D.C. Boston serves 850 students.

Grades K-6 nationally; Boston serves students in grades 1-5.

Please click here for more information on this evaluation.

Type of Evaluation: Pre/Post Test; Outcomes Monitoring

Objective: To assess how well BELL is reaching its three main goals for its scholars: improved academic performance, improved self-concept and development of social skills and community awareness.

Impact/Outcomes: Overall, BELL participants reported substantial growth in academic improvement in the areas of literacy and math, and remained more engaged in school than they were prior to the program. The evaluation found that scholars "outpaced" the national comparison group in the acquistion of literacy skills. BELL was also associated with improvements in students' self-esteem, motivate participants to learn, increase confidence in students' reading and math abilities and promote higher educational aspirations. The study also found that BELL students demonstrated greater interpersonal and self-management skills, engaging in more age-appropriate social behavior. Parents were reported to be more engaged in their child's educational process than before BELL.

The program is free for parents who are eligible for supplemental educational services (SES) under the No Child Left Behind Act. Other parents pay tuition based on a sliding scale fee.

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