21st Century Community Learning Centers Evaluation

Challenge

Afterschool programs are often tasked with meeting the social and academic needs of a diverse group of learners. Evaluation can help these programs identify what’s working and how to provide high-quality services for all children.

Illinois’s Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) initiative has supported the creation of over 500 program sites that provide academic and social enrichment opportunities during non-school hours. The initiative reaches over 50,000 students across the state each year, with a focus on serving students from schools with a high concentration of families with low incomes. Since 2013, EDC has been the statewide evaluator of the 21st CCLC program, working with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to help the program meet its goals and better serve students, families, and communities.

Key Activities

• Collect and analyze grantee data to inform programmatic improvement. Data include annual surveys, site visits, state assessment data, and local evaluation reports.
• Provide technical assistance, including workshops and training sessions, to:
  • Build ISBE staff capacity to use evaluation findings to continuously improve the statewide program
  • Enhance 21st CCLC grantees’ capacity to conduct local evaluations and use findings to inform programmatic decision-making

Impact

For 12 years, EDC has supported ISBE and their 21st CCLC grantees in responding to changing state and federal program requirements and priorities:

• EDC’s annual evaluation reports provide recommendations to help ISBE and grantees improve the program.
• EDC’s site visit reports provide grantees and ISBE with the opportunity to draw upon lessons learned.
• EDC continues to develop the capacity of both ISBE and grantee staff to conduct and use evaluation for continuous improvement and accountability, helping them to be better situated for long-term sustainability.