An analysis of an after-school program in a small, rural elementary school in Georgia

The purpose of this study was to describe the 21st Century Community Learning Center Initiative (CCLC) After-School Program and investigate the long-term impact of the program on student achievement as measured by the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) scores in reading and math as well as report card scores, in an elementary school in rural Georgia. A descriptive research design was used for this study. The study examined 3 years of student performance on the CRCT and report card scores in reading and mathematics. The data collected for this study is used to explore the impact of the after-school program on student performance. It is not known whether or not the students who participated in the CCLC After-School Program had significant improvement in academic achievement over a 3-year period.; The review of literature on after-school programs proved that after-school programs can be very effective in increasing academic achievement. The findings of this study were inconclusive regarding the impact of this after-school program on academic achievement. However, it did leave the door open for further investigation of after-school programs of this type and their effectiveness.