After School Programs Meet ESSA Standards

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The Wallace Foundation has released a new report, Afterschool Programs: A Review of Evidence Under Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), that includes research on the learning and social outcomes of students attending after school programs from 2000-2017.

From these findings, 124 after school programs meet ESSA’s requirements and of those, more than 60 programs have demonstrated positive impacts on its students.  These programs have all improved in reading, physical health, mathematics, school attendance, promotion/graduation, and social and emotional competencies. Within this report, the authors offer a set of recommendations for the continuous improvement of after school programs for providers, states, evaluators, and the federal government. This report is accompanied by a detailed evidence guide with research summaries of the effectiveness of these after school programs satisfying ESSA requirements.