Transforming Afterschool Programs into "Engines of Development": A Policy Analysis of the Federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers

Author

Jane Quinn, The Graduate Center, City University of New YorkFollow

Date of Degree

9-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Program

Urban Education

Advisor

Deborah Shanley

Committee Members

Juan Battle

David Bloomfield

Subject Categories

Other Education | Urban Education

Keywords

afterschool education, educational equity, federal education policy

Abstract

Although schools receive most of the attention in discussions of and research about educational policy, an equally important—and under-investigated—arena is the non-school hours. American students spend more time outside of school than in school, and a host of studies have shown that the ways young people spend their discretionary time can greatly influence their short-term and long-term outcomes. Issues of educational equity are deeply embedded in the topic because opportunities to participate in high quality out-of-school learning experiences are not evenly distributed in American society. The single most important policy target in this aspect of student life is the federal 21^st Century Community Learning Centers (21^st CCLC) program, a part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that annually provides over $1 billion in funding for afterschool and summer programs across the K-12 age and grade spectrum. As the largest source of public funding for out-of-school-time programs, the 21^st CCLC program offers untapped potential to address the opportunity gap between more and less affluent young people.

This dissertation research involves a mixed-methods policy analysis study in two parts: (1) review of U. S. government documents (including authorizing legislation, non-regulatory guidance, annual performance reports, and external evaluations), with a focus on analyzing the strengths and shortcomings of the current 21^st CCLC policy and making a research-based proposal around strategies designed to improve the policy and resulting programs; and (2) interviews focused on key unanswered questions with a diverse group of 15 thought leaders in the afterschool field, analysis of their responses, and integration of the new findings into final recommendations prepared for the federal government and the afterschool field.

The study argues that the central challenge facing the 21^st Century Community Learning Centers program—consistently low rates of student participation—can be addressed only by listening to the voices of young people and responding to their desire for engagement and challenge in out-of-school-time programs.

Recommended Citation

Quinn, Jane, "Transforming Afterschool Programs into "Engines of Development": A Policy Analysis of the Federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers" (2022). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/4978