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This article introduces an evaluation system that will enable after-school programs for middle and high school students to monitor and reflect on their program progress and to improve on the quality of program implementation. Key indicators of quality and success are identified and an indicator system is designed, which focuses on four main components of after-school programs: environment, program organization, instructional features, and student outcomes. By using this system, educators can analyze their program's strengths and weaknesses and plan for improvement.Assessment and accountability are the cornerstones of today's school reforms. Just as educators are being held accountable for helping all students meet high academic standards, after-school programs and their staff members must also be held accountable for meeting their program goals. And just as schools should engage in continual assessment and improvement, after-school programs should also have their own evaluation and assessment system to fine-tune program quality. Program EvaluationEducators involved in quality after-school programs are concerned about the overall effectiveness of their programs and make assessment and evaluation an integral part of their functions. Evaluations help educators discover program strengths and weaknesses and determine areas where changes are needed. With careful refinement and constant monitoring of an after-school plan, managers of quality programs can judge the efficacy of their efforts on the basis of established, accepted goals for the program and improve their effectiveness in promoting the resilience of at-risk students.

Despite the potential benefits of afterschool programs, much of the related research has been limited to an examination of only their immediate or short-term effects. The LA's BEST afterschool program has been in operation for more than 20 years, providing researchers with a unique opportunity to explore the long-term effects of afterschool programming. This study examined the dropout rates of the LA's BEST afterschool participants and compared them to a stratified random district sample that was matched to the characteristics of the afterschool students. The results indicated that students who had participated in the afterschool program for at least three years showed a significantly lower dropout rate than the district students overall.

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