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Briefing

Jodi Grant

Executive Director, Afterschool Alliance

Gemma Lenowitz

Program Officer, Overdeck Family Foundation

Zelda Quiller Waymer

President & CEO, �South Carolina �Afterschool Alliance

Nikole Collins-Puri

CEO,�Techbridge Girls

Shannon Christian

Executive Director, Worland Youth Learning Center

America After 3PM STEM

America After 3PM is the nation’s most comprehensive look at how children spend their time during the hours after school and during the summer. The 2020 survey findings provide important new insights into STEM learning in afterschool, a first ever look at trends in afterschool STEM learning since the first special STEM report released in 2014.

America After 3PM serves as a resource for policymakers, educators, parents, and advocates on afterschool and summer program participation, demand, and expectations and benefits of programs.

This 2021 America After 3PM special report, STEM Learning in Afterschool On the Rise, But Barriers and Inequities Exist, is based on research commissioned and funded by the Overdeck Family Foundation.

America After 3PM is made possible by the generous support of the New York Life Foundation, Overdeck Family Foundation, The Wallace Foundation, the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, Altria Group, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

Methodology Statement

America After 3PM is a national survey of parents or guardians of school-aged children, screening 31,055 households and having 14,393 households completing in-depth interviews via an online survey using a blend of national consumer panels.

At least 200 households completed interviews in every state and Washington, D.C., between January 27 and March 17, 2020. Where the minimum could not be met, supplemental telephone interviews were conducted.

An Advisory Committee comprised of afterschool and research experts provided input on the design of the survey instrument.

5 Big Takeaways

1. Opportunities for STEM learning are on the rise in afterschool programs
2. Parents increasingly see afterschool as important for STEM learning
3. Programs are serving students underrepresented in STEM careers
4. STEM opportunities are not evenly distributed to all families
5. Fewer students benefit from STEM learning due to increased barriers to afterschool participation

Opportunities for STEM learning are on the rise in afterschool programs

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1.

STEM learning is on the rise

Nearly 3 out of 4 children—a total of 5,740,836 students—have STEM learning opportunities in their afterschool programs.

STEM learning opportunities in afterschool programs increased from 69% in 2014 to 73% in 2020.

Afterschool programs offer an increasing variety of STEM learning activities

Science learning, technology and engineering, and math activities have increased since 2014.

Frequency of STEM learning has increased

60% of parents say their child takes part in a STEM activity 2 times a week or more, up from 52% in 2014.

82% of parents say their child takes part in a STEM activity at least once a week, up from 77% in 2014.

Parents increasingly see afterschool as important for STEM learning

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2.

Parents increasingly see afterschool as important for STEM learning

3 out of 4 parents say that afterschool programs help children gain interest and skills related to STEM.

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Parents prioritize STEM learning in selecting their child’s afterschool program

More than 7 in 10 parents say STEM and computer science learning opportunities are important in selecting an afterschool program, up 19 percentage points from 2014.

Programs are serving students underrepresented in STEM careers

3.

Women and people of color are underrepresented in STEM professions.

Programs serve students underrepresented in STEM careers

Parents of Black and Hispanic/Latinx students report that their child’s afterschool program offers STEM learning at higher rates than parents of White students. Girls have opportunities to participate in STEM learning at similar rates to boys.

Afterschool STEM learning participation,�by race, ethnicity and gender.

STEM opportunities are not evenly distributed to all families

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4.

Opportunities are growing faster for boys

Students from families with low incomes are more likely to miss out

Students from families with higher incomes have greater variety of STEM offerings

Afterschool opportunities in

Fewer students benefit from STEM learning due to increased barriers to afterschool participation

5.

While STEM learning is more available in afterschool programs, fewer students have access to programs

7 million kids

5.7 million kids

More families struggle to afford and find an afterschool program

STEM learning in the time of COVID�

Afterschool and summer programs continue to offer STEM learning opportunities during the pandemic

Areas for further exploration�

• Why do views differ on the importance of STEM learning?
• Parents from urban communities are more likely to say STEM is important in selecting an afterschool program than rural and suburban parents.
• Latinx, Asian, and Black parents place more importance on STEM when selecting afterschool program than White parents.
• What barriers prevent more computer science and technology and engineering programming?
• What is behind inequities in access to afterschool STEM learning opportunities?
• Differences in diversity of STEM activities and frequency of programming for families with low and high incomes
• Gender differences in access to afterschool STEM learning
• Geographic differences in access to afterschool STEM learning

Recommendations

• Explore parent attitudes towards and perceptions of STEM learning overall and how those may impact afterschool STEM learning participation and opportunities
• Increase computer science and technology and engineering programming.
• Build more partnerships b/w STEM education community & afterschool programs.
• Improve assessment measures of afterschool STEM learning.
• Expand efforts to promote STEM learning for girls.
• Increase overall investment in afterschool and summer programs.

LEARN MORE:

www.afterschoolalliance.org/AA3PM