AfterSchool KidzMath: Research Results

In 2003, researchers from the Developmental Studies Center conducted an evaluation study of the AfterSchool KidzMath program. Six after-school sites in the San Francisco Bay Area were involved and four methods of data collection were used in the study.

Methods of Data Collection

• Participants’ evaluations of staff development workshops, which rated the extent to which each workshop component contributed to participants’ learning and understanding
• Follow-up surveys, which asked all participating staff to describe the frequency and nature of their use of the program materials and the outcomes they had seen in their youth as a result of participating in the program
• Telephone interviews that probed the topics covered in the follow-up survey
• Classroom observations and interviews to understand more fully the use of the program and provide an independent assessment of implementation

Staff reported that the children at their sites:

• Improved their level of mathematics skill and understanding
• Were helped by the program to feel more positive about mathematics
• Enjoyed the games and story guide activities
• Deepened their engagement with the games and activities over time
• Improved their relationships with each other
• A large-scale comparison evaluation of the program is currently being conducted at 44 sites affiliated with Sacramento START.