Judy Foster

Bianca Jefferson
Phyllis Sanders

What is

2007- Mayor Karl Deans Project for

Student Success
Four Key Factors to Dropout:
Student Risk Factors
Community Risk Factors
Family/Parental Roles
Chronic Poor Academic Performance

2009- NAZA created

Network of Coordinated Afterschool
Programming for MNPS Middle School
Students in At-Risk Neighborhoods

Purpose of the Study

To determine the effects of
NAZA participation on
fi fth through eighth
grade students in their
respective MNPS schools

Statement of the Problem

Each year, 1.2 million of 14.5 million
U.S. students drop out of school.
In Nashville, 1 of 4 students do not
graduate.
Intervene BEFORE High School
Only 10 percent of MNPS students
participate in afterschool programs.
Early adolescence, like early
childhood, is associated with a
major burst in brain development.
(Afterschool Alliance, 2012)

Mixed Methodology
QUANTITATIVE from MNPS Warehouse

519 NAZA Students

187 male, 332 female
South Central and Northeast Zones
SPSS

QUALITATIVE PORTION from NAZA

Program Partners and Directors

ObSurvey Online Questionnaire

7 Open-Ended Questions
Sent to 25; Feedback from 10

Student Population Overview

10%

Fifth Grade
26%

23%

Sixth Grade
Seventh Grade
Eighth Grade

41%

Research Question Themes

#1
Attendan
ce

#2
Academi
cs

#3
Behavior

#4
Feedback

NULL HYPOTHESES OVERVIEW

H1: There is no statistically significant relationship
between students participation rates in NAZA and
school absences.

REJECTED

H2: There is no statistically significant relationship

between students participation rates in NAZA and
academic achievement as measured by their
TCAP scores.

RETAINED

H3: There is no statistically significant relationship

between students participation rates in NAZA and
behavior referrals.
H4: There is no statistically significant difference
in students school absences after one year of
participation in NAZA afterschool programs.
H5: There is no statistically significant difference
in students academic achievement, as
measured by their TCAP scores, after one year of
participation in NAZA afterschool programs.
H6: There is no statistically significant difference

RETAINED

RETAINED

REJECTED

NULL HYPOTHESES OVERVIEW

H7: There is no statistically significant difference
in school attendance of students across
program types.
H8: There is no statistically significant difference
in rates of participation in NAZA afterschool
programs among grade levels.
H9: There is no statistically significant difference
between students academic achievement in
school-based NAZA programs and students in
community-based NAZA programs, as measured
by their TCAP scores.
H10: There is no statistically significant difference
in the number of students school absences
across program sites.
H11: There is no statistically significant difference
in academic achievement, as measured by TCAP
scores, across program sites.
H12: There is no statistically significant difference
in the number of behavioral referrals received

REJECTED

RETAINED

REJECTED

REJECTED

REJECTED

REJECTED

Research Question #1
Is afterschool program participation,
both in terms of duration and
intensity, associated with higher
rates of AT T E N D A N C E in school?
If so, what programs provide the
greatest return in terms of student
AT T E N D A N C E ?

Findings
Statistically significant relationship between the
number of days students
p a r t i c i p a t e d i n N A Z A afterschool
programs during the enrollment period and the
number of days the participants
are absent from school
Statistically significant difference between the
number of days students were
p r e s e n t i n s c h o o l and the t y p e o f
N A Z A p r o g r a m the student was enrolled in

Findings

Findings

Findings
Statistically significant relationship between the
number of days students
p a r t i c i p a t e d i n N A Z A afterschool
programs during the enrollment period and the
number of days the participants
are absent from school
Statistically significant difference between the
number of days students were
p r e s e n t i n s c h o o l and the t y p e o f
N A Z A p r o g r a m the student was enrolled in
Statistically significant difference between the
number of days students were
p r e s e n t i n s c h o o l and the p r o g r a m
s i t e the student was enrolled in

Top 5 - Attendance
PROGRAM SITE and MEAN
ATTENDANCE
1. Catholic Charities Refugee

1.59

2. Girls, Inc.- Oliver

4.00
3. CRIT-RISE Cameron
4. CRIT-RISE Stonebrook
5. Girls, Inc.- Cameron

4.26
4.63
4.90

Support from the Literature

Balfonz, Herzog, & MacIver (2007)

Sixth graders with less than 90 percent attendance rate have higher
chance of dropout
Students must be present and engaged to learn

Kugler (2001)
Improved grades often result from improved attendance.

Gottfried (2010)

Strong correlation between middle school students attendance, GPA,

and standardized test scores

Kane (2004)

Evaluated 4 afterschool programs

None showed statistically significant impacts on achievement scores
until after 2-3 years of participation
However, these same programs reported that their students were
late for class less often, had fewer absences, and demonstrated
improvement in school attendance

Research Question #2
Is afterschool program participation,
both in terms of duration and
intensity, associated with higher
rates of A C A D E M I C
A C H I E V E M E N T in school? If so,
what programs provide the greatest
return in terms of student
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT?

Findings
Statistically significant difference in s t u d e n t s
T C A P r e a d i n g o r m a t h scores a f t e r
one year of participation in NAZA
Statistically significant difference in the T C A P
r e a d i n g a n d m a t h s c o r e s of students
who participated in c o m m u n i t y - b a s e d
N A Z A p r o g r a m s and the T C A P r e a d i n g
a n d m a t h s c o r e s of students who
participated in s c h o o l - b a s e d N A Z A
programs

Findings

Program Location Enrollment

31%
69%

School-Based
Community-Based

Findings
Statistically significant difference in s t u d e n t s
T C A P r e a d i n g o r m a t h scores a f t e r
one year of participation in NAZA
Statistically significant difference in the T C A P
r e a d i n g a n d m a t h s c o r e s of students
who participated in c o m m u n i t y - b a s e d
N A Z A p r o g r a m s and the T C A P r e a d i n g
a n d m a t h s c o r e s of students who
participated in s c h o o l - b a s e d N A Z A
programs
Statistically significant difference in the T C A P
r e a d i n g o r m a t h s c o r e s of NAZA
participants a c r o s s s p e c i fi c p r o g r a m
sites

Top 5 - Reading
PROGRAM SITES
MEAN TCAP
READING NCE
1. Girls, Inc.- Oliver
59
2. Youth in the Village
43
3. Girls, Inc.- Cameron
43
4. Z Program- Jere Baxter
43
5. Career Exploration- Wright
42

Top 5 - Math
PROGRAM SITES
MEAN TCAP
MATH NCE
1. Girls, Inc.- Oliver
56
2. Career Exploration- Wright
56
3. Career Exploration- Cameron
53
4. Girls, Inc.- Cameron
52
5. Z Program
51

Support from the Literature

Providence After School Alliance (2011)
32+ days in afterschool programming
associated with higher GPAs and greater
school connectedness
Huang, Gribbons, Kim, Lee, & Baker (2000)
Curriculum-based interventions impact
achievement
Kane (2004) and Redd, Cochran, Hair, & Moore
(2004)
2 to 3 years to see academic growth

Research Question #3
Is afterschool program participation,
both in terms of duration and
intensity, associated with
B E H AV I O R I M P R OV E M E N T in
school? If so, what programs provide
the greatest return in terms of
student B E H AV I O R
I M P R OV E M E N T ?

Findings
Statistically significant difference in the
number of behavior referrals
received by the students a f t e r o n e y e a r o f
participation in NAZA
Statistically significant difference in the
n u m b e r o f d i s c i p l i n a r y e v e n t s in
NAZA participants a c r o s s p r o g r a m s i t e s

Top 5 - Behavior
1. Catholic Charities Refugee
2. Girls, Inc.- Oliver
3. CRIT-RISE Stonebrook
4. Girls, Inc.- Cameron
5. Girls, Inc.- Wright

Support from the Literature

Payton (2008)
Found programs that focus on social and
emotional learning, not only show
improvements in behavioral elements, but in
academic achievement as well
DeKanter (2001)
Suggested students in quality afterschool
programs have better behavior, attendance,
& academic achievement

Research Question #4
What do program partners and
directors view as the most
I M PA C T F U L S T R E N GT H S A N D
W E A K N E SS E S of NAZAs
afterschool programming?

Qualitative Survey
Please state your relationship to NAZA.
Have you seen a correlation between participation in NAZA and
academic performance of participants? Can you provide details
and examples?
Have you seen a correlation between participation in NAZA and
school attendance/involvement in participants? Can you provide
details or examples?
Have you seen a correlation between participation in NAZA and
improved behavior/attitude toward school of participants? Can
you provide details or examples?
What do you view as NAZAs greatest strength(s)?
What do you view as a weakness of NAZA?
Please share and discuss any other important benefits of NAZA for
students, schools, and/or the communities it serves.

Qualitative Findings
7of 10 responses clearly stated a
connection between NAZA
participation and improved
academic performance
The remaining 3 were not in
disagreement
.... NAZA students are more
academically motivated.
...perceptions of better
student engagement.
2 s p e c i fi c m e n t i o n s o f
importance of English language
acquisition through NAZA
participation

Qualitative Findings
7of 10 responses clearly cited a
positive correlation between NAZA
participation and increased school
attendance and involvement
I do see a correlation personally
but have no hard data to back up
the increased school attendance.
I do know that many NAZA
students become more engaged in
school activities beyond NAZA.
Fo r i n s t a n c e , s t u d e n t s a t J e r e
Baxter have created murals in the
halls of their school, and students
at Isaac Litton have joined the
band, glee club, the student
p a p e r, a n d o t h e r e x t r a c u r r i c u l a r
activities.

Qualitative Findings
8of 10 responses cited a positive
correlation between NAZA
participation and improved
behavior and attitudes toward
school
Most said behavior was dependent
upon students NAZA attendance
consistency
S e v e r a l m e n t i o n e d s p e c i fi c c a s e s

Qualitative Findings
T h e fi r s t y e a r w e h a d
NAZA we had a student that
s t ay e d i n t r o u b l e . S h e
would steal, scream at
teachers, and get into
fi g h t s . A f t e r s h e s t a r t e d i n
the NAZA program, she
became a leader in the
school and turned herself
around.

Qualitative Data

Recommendations for
Client and Future Research
Deeper Examination of Program Types
Implement Longitudinal Approach with
Data
Determine Effect of Class Sizes
Evaluate Arts Attendance
Examine Eighth Graders
Investigate Specific Programs Showing
Significant Improvement in Student
Achievement

Closing Thoughts

Safe, Supervised Environment

Interventions and Enrichments
New Opportunities
Positive Experiences

NAZA provides a physically and emotionally

safe place for students to meet together, try new
skills, participate in the arts, develop selfconfidence, grow their social-emotional skills,
and learn that they have a lot to contribute to
school and society... Its a place where students
can realize their value and true potential.