Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education
Advisor
Don Lueder
Committee Member
Melinda Ratchford
Committee Member
Ronald P. Kern
Keywords
21st-century, academic achievement, academic development, academic performance, academic skills, after-school coordinator, after-school programs, after-school teachers, archival data, at-risk students, communication, elementary school, empirical data, English, evaluation, Grades 3-5, implementation, instruction, intervention, math, program evaluation, regular-school teachers, southeastern United States, standardized tests, Stufflebeam model, survey data, test scores
Abstract
The purpose of the research was to evaluate a 21st-century after-school program at an elementary school in the southeastern United States. The program focused on the improvement of academic skills for students in Grades 3 through 5 in the academic areas of English and math. Implementation was in response to the high rate of students scoring below average on standardized tests. The Stufflebeam model was used to guide the program evaluation. Interview data were gathered from the after-school coordinator. Survey data were gathered from the after-school teachers and regular-school teachers. Data were also gathered from archival and empirical sources.
Test scores showed that the program did not have a positive impact because none of the participating students met the goal requirements of the standardized test. However, the after-school coordinator and most of the after-school teachers and regular-school teachers did report that the program had a positive impact on achievement. Therefore, it was concluded the program, in its present form, did not improve overall academic development.
Based on the results, it appears that a more extensive and intensive intervention is needed to help improve the academic performance of these at-risk students. It is recommended that the program be expanded to as many grade levels as possible and that instruction be offered for a longer period of time. It is also recommended that an effort be made to improve and maintain open lines of communication among all parties involved in the program.