This article orginally appeared in the June, 2009 issue of Catalyst. Click here to see that issue's table of contents.

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An afterschool program in Cincinnati that program organizers say has made measurable success in students’ test scores and grades will expand next year to serve more students across the district.

CincyAfterSchool’s 2007-2008 report showed that of the more than 2,700 students served last year, about half raised their math test score and half raised their reading scores. As a result, the program is getting a new round of state funding that will fuel an expansion in the coming academic year.

The program, which started with nine sites and has since expanded to 22, is getting funding from the Ohio Department of Education that will allow the original eight sites to continue (one school has since closed) and to launch programs in six new schools this year.

Each site will receive $200,000 for the first three years. They’ll get 75 percent of that for the fourth year and 50 percent for the fifth year. Sites also receive some Title 1 funding. The idea is that as the program grows, there’s a greater opportunity to reach out into the community and find additional resources, says YMCA of Greater Cincinnati District Vice President Rebecca Kelley. The program uses a lot of volunteers and community partnerships – according to the group’s 2007-2008 report, volunteers outnumbered paid staff nearly 2.5 to 1.

CincyAfterSchool began five years ago as a collaborative program between Cincinnati Public Schools and the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati. It aims to increase academic achievement and reduce risk-taking behaviors in all grades.

Oyler School Principal Craig D. Hockenberry says it’s led to even more: better attendance, less crime and happier parents. The CincyAfterSchool program helped his school become a community learning center, opening the doors to many more partnerships and allowing the school to offer a wealth of services to families from homework help to hot meals to in-building health clinics. “It centralizes all the services in one building, the way it should have always been,” Hockenberry says.

“I think this is the missing link in the evolution of a major school building.”

Oyler School was one of the original CincyAfterSchool centers.

The grants are supposed to be used to create 21st-century learning communities like Oyler’s. A recent evaluation of the program showed success in measures of academics and extracurricular experiences, although not as significant as the group’s goals had set. The organization had hoped that at least 60 percent of students would raise their test scores last year; closer to half the students did. The group also places an emphasis on enhancing education in non-core areas like career exploration and the fine arts. In 2007-2008, 39 percent of students said they had gone on a workplace tour and 79 percent participated in an arts or cultural activity, such as trying foreign foods, exploring a new language or learning about music from other cultures – more than their goals of 25 and 70 percent, respectively.

CincyAfterSchool expands school days through extracurricular activities and tutoring, working with a myriad of local agencies like the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati, Kelley says. Their summer program – dubbed “fifth quarter” by the district’s superintendent, Kelley says – was recently recognized by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan as an example of how to effectively extend the school year.

Oyler uses these partnerships to serve vital needs in their community, not just students’ academic needs. Families of students in poverty need more help, Hockenberry says, and students can’t thrive if their basic needs aren’t met. Hockenberry says that before the CincyAfterSchool program began, families seeking help were led in confusing circles. “OK, ma’am, get on the bus, drive here, make an appointment, come back – you know?” he says, giving an example as exasperation fills his voice. “We would take people everywhere to get something done.”

Now, he says, the P-12 school can help families on site with health, hunger or tutoring needs. A comprehensive program such as Oyler’s can take a lot of money and manpower, but Hockenberry says the partnerships make it easy. Often, outside groups can supply the people and the money as long as the school can offer them a place to stay.

Monday through Friday, Oyler’s partners offers programs for students until 10 p.m. The late programming has helped to cut down on neighborhood violence, he says, by giving students a safe place to hang out in the evenings. And their schools’ test scores have risen in recent years, boosting the school out of Academic Emergency and into Academic Watch. Hockenberry thinks the school will reach Continuous Improvement this year based on preliminary test score data. The academic portions of the program line up with the school’s curriculum by the day, and the overall program is aligned to the district’s strategic plan. Of Oyler’s 800 students, Hockenberry says nearly 200 take part in an afterschool program each day.