Introduction
Whereas the Boys and Girls Club of America is historically one of the most significant after-school programs in the country, within the academic literature, there is a dearth of articles within the last five years that discusses this particular organization. This lack, however, also provides the opportunity for a new contribution to research. Namely, applying the latest scientific evaluations of after-school programs to the Boys and Girls Club of America can offer a new perspective on this organization. Much of the academic literature on after-school programs has focused on the effectiveness of such programs, from various perspectives, such as physical and mental health as well as academic performance. These criteria and methodology could be applied to the Boys and Girls Club of America. Furthermore, insofar as this approach supports the effectiveness of the Boys and Girls Club of America, the organization, as publicly funded, should also be considered within the neoliberal context in which it operates, which opposes public funding as a general ideological platform. Thus, to the extent that the Boys and Girls Club of America’s after-school programs can be positively evaluated, this will also make the case for continued federally funding, against the dominant neoliberal narrative.
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"Boys and Girls Club of America Literature Review".
Literature Review
Using academic scholarship sources such as Google Scholar, and setting parameter searches for the period from 2011-2015, no peer reviewed articles have directly addressed the Boys and Girls Club of America. This gap in the literature nevertheless provides the possibility for new research to evaluate this particular organization, a research that is grounded in broader research on the effectiveness of after-school programs in general.
Much of the recent academic literature on after-school programs tends to be focused on specific issues, for example, physical health issues such as exercise and nutrition. (Weaver et al., 2015) However, recent studies, such as Simpkins et al. (2016), have argued for the overall effectivity of after-school programs from empirical evidence. Simpkins et al. (2016) claim that the improved quality of after-school programs is the result of clearly defined standards established by National Research Council’s Committe on Community-Level for Youth. However, Simpkins et al (2016) also argue that the approach of the NRC is too “universal” and fails to accurately account for differences that result from ethnic and racial diversity, as well as social and class power relations. Insofar as an after-school program’s effectiviteness ultimately must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, then the Boys and Girls Club of America could also be studied from the perspective of its success in addressing specific communities. Owing to the aforementioned absence in the literature, this will require a methodology that is largely empirically based and carried out by the researcher.
Guidelines for how to conduct such a research have been established recently by Bender et al., (2011). More specifically, in after-school programs which have stressed after-school learning, improvement in academic results have been empirically demonstrated. Furthermore, improvements in mental health, such as motivation and self-esteem, have been traced to the presence of after-school programs. (Bender et al., 2011) Approaching the Boys and Girls Club of America from these perspectives of evaluation is thus consistent with the latest literature on after-school programs. As mentioned above, however, the literature has also emphasized physical benefits of after-school programs. Using this tripartite schema, the Boys and Girls Club of America could be therefore evaluated, employing methodologies from the aforementioned studies, according to 1) academic performance, 2) mental health and 3) physical health. Kremer et al. (2015), whose study investigates after-school programs in terms of their stated goals to “prevent adverse outcomes, decrease risk, or improve functioning”, can provide a research model of how to apply such an approach to the particular case of the Boys and Girls Club of America. Furthermore, the evaluation of these three areas could then be compared to standard of particularity as opposed to universality stressed by Simpkins et al. (2016).
After arguing for the effectivness of after-school programs, and in particular, the Boys and Girls Club of America, these conclusions can be then placed into the context of a greater ideological debate, above all driven by the dominance of neoliberal ideology. Lipman argues that neoliberal policy practiced by the federal government has led to an increasing privatization of education and thus either 1) an elimination of after-school programs, or 2) after-school programs themselves becoming privatized. For Lipman, this reflects an ideology of systematic racism. This hypothesis can be tied to Simpkins et al. (2016), who stress that after-school programs must be tailored to ethnic as well as social and class diversity. The neoliberal ideology is particularly relevant for federally funded organizations such as the Boy and Girls Club of America. Exploring how this ideology has affected the Boy and Girls Club of America can, in other words, determine its current effectivity with how effective organization could be in a different ideological setting.
Conclusion
The aim of the research is 1) evaluate the effectiveness of the Boy and Girls Club of America using methodology already stressed in the academic literature on the effectiveness of after-school programes, and 2) after establishing this effectiveness, argue for the necessity of such federally-funded after school programs against the dominant neoliberal narrative which criticizes and eliminates such programs. The aforementioned literature review provides a foundation for 1) establishing relevant criteria for evaluating an after-school program, 2) a methodology so as to carry of this evaluation, and 3) considering the context in which the Boys and Girls Club of America operates, which can thereby explain potential weaknesses in its program and offer suggestions for improvement.
- Bender, K., Brisson, D., Jenson, J.M., Forrest-Bank, S., Lopez, A. & Yoder, A. (2011). Challenges and strategies for conducting program-based research in after-school settings. Child and Adolescent Social Work. 28. 319-334.
- Kremer, K.P., Maynard, B.R., Polanin, J.R, Vaughn, M.G., & Satreschi, C.M. (2015) Effects of after-school programs with at-risk youth on attendance and externalizing behaviors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 44(3). 616-636.
- Lipman, P. (2011). Neoliberal education restructuring: Dangers and opportunities of the present crisis. Monthly Review. 63(3). 114-127.
- Simpkins, S.D., Riggs, N.R., Ngo, B., Vest Ettekal, A. & Okamoto, D. (2016). Designing culturally responsive organized after-school activities. Journal of Adolescent Research. 1-26.
- Weaver, R.G., Beets, M.W., Hutto, B., Saunders, R.P., Moore, J.B., Turner-McGrievy, G., Huberty, J.L., Ward, D.S., Pate, R.R., Beighle, A., & Freedman, D. (2015). Making healthy eating and physical activity policy practice: Process evaluation of a group randomized controlled intervention in afterschool porgrams. Health Education Research. 30(6). 849-865.
