UCLA Study Shows Gains of After-School Program
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LOS ANGELES — Children enrolled in a nationally recognized after-school program have better school attendance, higher rates of enrollment in English-speaking classes and improved performance on standardized academic tests, according to a UCLA study released by Mayor Richard Riordan Tuesday.
The study examined the effectiveness of L.A.’s BEST (Better Educated Students for Tomorrow), an after-school program created by former Mayor Tom Bradley in 1988 to provide low-income children, ages 5 to 12, with an alternative to being home alone or on the streets.
“It’s more than an after-school program, it’s become a beacon of hope for children,” Riordan said as he unveiled the findings to a small group of students, educators and community leaders downtown.
The study, conducted by the UCLA Center for the Study of Evaluation, tracked second- through fifth-grade students enrolled in the program over a four-year period.
L.A. BEST currently serves 12,000 students at 69 elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
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