After-School Programs Net Gains in Math, Not Reading

A federal study of curriculum materials used in two “enhanced” after-school programs has found that a math program produced significant gains in student achievement while a reading program did not.

Students who took part in the enhanced math program for one year showed significantly more improvement than their peers in a regular after-school program. A second year in the program, however, produced gains no greater than those for students enrolled in a regular after-school program. The study examines students in grades 2 through 5.

The math program, Mathletics, was developed especially for the study by Harcourt School Publishers, based in Orlando, Fla., and was used in 15 after-school centers. The reading program, called Adventure Island, was also developed for the study, by the Baltimore-based Success for All Foundation, and was taught in 12 after-school centers. The centers were located in rural, urban, and suburban...