Model Program

After School Matters (ASM) is a Chicago based nonprofit organization that provides high school students with a variety of opportunities for work-based and project-based learning through paid internships in the arts, technology, sports, communications, and other fields. The mission of ASM is to create a network of out-of-school-time opportunities for teenage youth in under-served communities.

Program Descriptors Include:
Academic Improvement, Behavior Management/Discipline, Computer Assisted Instruction, Family/Parental Involvement, Substance Abuse, Life Skills Training

Starting Date: 2000
Students Served Per Year: 500+
Last Verified: 2011

Program addresses the following:

Individual factors

• Low achievement
• Poor attendance
• Low educational expectations
• Lack of effort
• Low commitment to school

Program promotes the following:

Relationships

• Presence and involvement of caring, supportive adults
• Opportunities and rewards for pro-social involvement
• Involvement with positive peer activities

ASM Participants had higher attendance rates. Students who participated in ASM at the "Very High" level had the lowest number of school absences. Students who participated at the Very High level failed a significantly lower percentage of their core courses (10 percent) than similar non-participants (16 percent). Participants had higher graduation rates and lower dropout rates. The longer students participated, either by semesters or by days per semester, the more likely they were to graduate, and the less likely they were to drop out.

How evaluation data was collected:
Outside experimental studies
Data collected and analyzed at school/district level
Data collected and analyzed at state or organizational level

Additional Evaluation Information:
http://www.aypf.org/publications/SuccessAtEveryStep.pdf