Evaluation of Citizen Schools' Expanded Learning Time Model: Final Report

• NCJ Number: 306740
• Author(s): Alyssa R. Fountain; Beth Gamse; Beth Gamse; Melissa Velez; Matthew Hillard; Porsha Cropper
• Date Published: 2016
• Length: 99 pages
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation

Annotation

This final report presents the results of an evaluation designed to examine the implementation and impact from the beginning of Citizen Schools’ national Expanded Learning Time program expansion, in fall 2010 through 2015.

Abstract

This report describes the evaluation of the Citizen Schools Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Model, to test the hypothesis that if the model is implemented with fidelity, student engagement in school and student aspirations will increase, for measurable short-term outcomes, and correspondingly, student English/Language Arts (ELA) and math achievement, as measured by standardized test scores, would increase, providing measurable longer-term outcomes. The study described in this final report had the following key design features: the multi-site, multi-year study staggered cohorts of schools, from 2010-11 through 2014-15, with 35 schools in the four cohorts implementing Citizen Schools ELT for one or more years; implementation focused on ELT programming; non-academic outcome component focused on student engagement and aspirational outcomes; and academic component used quasi-experimental design to assess whether Citizen Schools had an impact on student achievement. The authors of the report note that they found considerable variation across individual campuses in how the ELT Model was incorporated into the various school contexts; the implementation findings highlighted some of the challenges associated with launching a multi-faceted model in dynamic settings, coupled with built-in staffing changes. The outcome-focused findings were also mixed, with positive effects on student engagement and aspirations, and negative perceptions about students’ personal agency and Citizen Schools ELT experiences.