The effects of 21st century community learning center programs on math, reading, and school attendance in Texas

This study analyzed the relationship between after-school programs and standardized assessment results of schools in Texas. Information was collected from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website including Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) reports and after-school grantees. The independent variables were after-school 21st Century Community Learning Center campuses and non-21st Century Community Learning Center campuses. The dependent variables included overall school achievement on Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) in reading, overall school achievement on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) in mathematics, and school attendance rates.;A one-way ANOVA was used to test the percentage of students meeting the state accountability standard in math between schools with after-school programs and those without after-school programs for the 2010-2011 academic year. This study found no statistically significant differences in the percentage of students meeting state standard between schools with after-school programs and those without after-school programs on the math TAKS test for the 2010-2011 school year.;A one-way ANOVA was used to test the percentage of students meeting the state accountability standard in reading between schools with after-school programs and those without after-school programs for the 2010-2011 academic year. There was no statistically significant difference in the percentage of students meeting the state standard between schools with after-school programs and those without after-school programs on the reading TAKS test for the 2010-2011 school year.;Finally, a one-way ANOVA was performed to verify if differences existed in the campus attendance rates between middle schools with after-school programs and those without after-school programs for the 2010-2011 academic year. ANOVA calculations proved that there was no statistically significant difference.