| Author(s): | Herrera, C., Linden, L., Arbreton, A., and Grossman, J. |
| Title: | Testing the impact of Higher Achivement's year-round out-of-school-time program on academic outcomes |
| Source: | http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/332_... |
| Date: | 2011 |
| Organization: | Public/Private Ventures |
| Short Description: | This report, funded by the William T. Grant Foundation and The Atlantic Philanthropies, examines the impact of Higher Achievement, a year-round Washington, DC-based OST program that enrolls rising fifth and sixth grade students in low-income neighborhoods and provides them with intensive academically focused programming over four years. |
| Annotation: | The achievement gap is one of the major challenges facing the American educational system. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds enter school at a deficit and fall further behind as they progress into higher grades. There has recently been great interest in the potential of out-of-school-time (OST) programs to help offset these educational disparities.
This report, funded by the William T. Grant Foundation and The Atlantic Philanthropies, examines the impact of Higher Achievement, a year-round Washington, DC-based OST program that enrolls rising fifth and sixth grade students in low-income neighborhoods and provides them with intensive academically focused programming over four years. Its ultimate goal is to increase youth's attendance at top high schools that could launch them toward college and careers.
Summarizing interim findings from an ongoing random assignment study, the report shows that Higher Achievement improved youth's scores on standardized tests two years after enrollment. Youth with access to Higher Achievement scored significantly better on both math and reading comprehension, compared with youth in the control group. Surprisingly, improvements in test scores were not preceded by improvements in self-reported attitudes or behaviors. In fact, at both the one- and two-year follow-ups, Higher Achievement youth were more likely to report engaging in certain negative behaviors—a pattern that researchers are continuing to investigate. |
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