Extended-Service Schools Initiative: The West Philadelphia Improvement Corporation (WEPIC) Model

City Scan:

Extended-Service Schools Initiative:
The West Philadelphia Improvement Corporation (WEPIC) Model

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	x		x

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

Background Information

Program size

Age range

Research

Program Fee?

Contact information:
Eugene Field Elementary School
700 Edith St SE
Albuquerque, NM 87102

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: The Eugene Field Elementary School is the lead school in Albuquerque for the WEPIC model, which has recently expanded to other schools. School partners include: The University of New Mexico and the United South Broadway Corporation. 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.

WEPIC serves over 10,000 kids throughout its programs

Elementary school students

Please click here for more information on this evaluation.

Type of Evaluation: 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.

Sample: The evaluation was conducted between May, 1998 and Spring, 2001. For purposes of this summary, the focus will be on the aspect of the evaluation that describes the benefits to youth participating in after school programs. A total of 2,047 students in grades 1-8 completed initial intake forms.

Impact/Outcomes: The evaluation of the ESS Initiative reported the following: the program helped youth stay out of trouble; increased students' sense of belonging at school; improved attention paid in class; increased class attendance; helped youth make friends and get along better; helped youth feel less shy around adults; increased their skills set; 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.

Study: Grossman, J.B., et al. (2002). Multiple choices after school: Findings from the Extended-Service Schools Initiative. Public/Private Ventures & MDRC. Available online at: http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/

116_publication.pdf

Not available.

To return to previous page click here