21st Century Learning Community Characteristics

The concept of a 21st-century learning community encompasses a wide array of educational initiatives and programs designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. Among these initiatives, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) stand out as a significant federal investment in afterschool and summer learning programs.

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Initiative

The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative represents the sole federal funding source dedicated exclusively to supporting quality, local afterschool, before-school, and summer learning programs. This program serves nearly 1.4 million youth and their families through grants awarded by state education agencies. Each state receives funds based on its share of Title I funding for low-income students. Grants are managed at the state level and support local schools, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, charter schools, park and recreation departments, and more, that provide afterschool and summer learning programs to students attending high-poverty, low-performing schools.

Historical Context and Evolution

After-school programs emerged in the early 1900s as neighborhoods became more dangerous and more mothers entered the workforce, parents searched for safe places for their children to go after school. Congress created 21st Century Community Learning Centers through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The first grants for community learning centers were distributed in 1998, originally lasting three years. Initially, most centers focused on academic programs, with a few offering recreational activities.

The No Child Left Behind Act narrowed the focus of 21st CCLC from a community learning center model, where all members of the community benefited from access to school resources such as teachers, computer labs, gymnasiums and classrooms, to an afterschool program model that provides services only to students attending high-poverty, low-performing schools. With NCLB, Congress also changed how 21st Century grants were distributed. Rather than give money directly to schools, the program began distributing funds to states. The amount of money allocated to each state is now based on the percentage of schools within a state that qualify as Title I schools (schools where at least 40 percent of the students are from families living below the poverty line).

Implementation and Funding

The 21st Century program is implemented at many different levels, starting at the federal level with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) outlining the program's purposes and procedures. State and local levels of government also function within the boundaries and procedures provided by the ESEA. The USDE distributes the appropriated money to a state only when two requirements have been met: (1) the state applies for the grant money, and (2) the USDE finds that the state will use the money in accordance with ESEA requirements. Once the states receive money from the USDE, they distribute the money to eligible local entities that meet the requirements. States distribute money to entities in three- to five-year grants. The ESEA requires applicants to meet two major criteria: (1) entities must use the money only on services prescribed by the ESEA, and (2) these entities must periodically evaluate the progress of the grant-funded programs. Grant-receiving organizations may also be supported by non-governmental organizations.

Congress appropriated about $1.9 billion annually to the program between 2002 and 2007. Congressional records indicate that in 2015 Congress appropriated $3.5 billion in grants to local education agencies.

Program Objectives and Services

The mission of 21st Century Community Learning Centers is to promote student achievement and prepare students to compete on a global scale. The program targets high-poverty and low-performing schools that may need extra support.

The services they provide include Academic enrichment activities that can help students meet state and local achievement standards. They also provide additional services designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program, such as:

Drug and violence prevention programs
Counseling programs
Art, music, and recreation programs
Technology education programs
Character education programs

Impact of Pandemic Relief Funds

School districts continue to leverage American Rescue Plan (ARP) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to support students in afterschool and summer programs. In New Jersey’s East Orange School District, students from families with low incomes benefitted from expanded enrichment and academic support, thanks to the district’s investment of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds in afterschool and summer programs.

In 2023, the Afterschool Alliance released eight blogs and collected over 550 examples on their American Rescue Plan map, highlighting some of the amazing ways pandemic relief funds are being utilized for afterschool and summer. In March 2021, local education agencies (LEAs) received approximately $22 billion from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to support COVID-related learning recovery, including afterschool and summer learning.

Evidence of Effectiveness

Data and Evaluation show that 21st CCLC programs are effective in helping students improve academic outcomes, increasing school day attendance, and moving the needle on a range of other important indicators.

Key Characteristics of 21st Century Learning Communities

While the 21st CCLC initiative provides a specific framework for afterschool and summer programs, the broader concept of a 21st-century learning community encompasses several key characteristics:

Focus on Student Achievement

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program is a state-administered grant program to provide opportunities for academic enrichment to meet state and local student academic achievement standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and mathematics. 21st CCLC programs provide opportunities during non-school hours for academic enrichment, including providing tutorial services to help students (particularly students in high poverty areas and those who attend low-performing schools) meet state and local student performance standards in core academic subjects such as reading and math. These opportunities must occur during non-school hours or periods when school is not in session to help students attending high-poverty and low-performing schools to meet state and local standards in core academic subjects.

Comprehensive Support Services

In addition to academics, 21st CCLC grantees may also offer participants a broad array of other services and programs, such as counseling, character education, drug and violence prevention programming, art, music, recreation activities and technology education. 21st CCLCs offer students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities, such as: youth development activities; service learning; nutrition and health education; drug and violence prevention programs; counseling programs; arts, music, physical fitness and wellness programs; technology education programs; financial literacy programs; environmental literacy programs; mathematics, science, career and technical programs; internship or apprenticeship programs; and other ties to an in-demand industry sector or occupation for high school students that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students.

Family and Community Engagement

21st CCLCs offer families of students served by 21st CCLCs opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children’s education, including opportunities for literacy and related educational development.

Safe and Supportive Environments

The most important center objectives were providing a safe setting and offering activities to help students improve academically. More than 9 in 10 youth report that they feel respected, are listened to, and trust the adults in their afterschool programs, according to research released by Every Hour Counts.

Development of 21st Century Skills

Based on a new national survey of 1,116 afterschool program providers, programs are supporting students’ academic development, strengthening peer-to-peer connections, and creating opportunities where they can practice life skills.

Challenges and Future Directions

Even though the percentage of public schools offering extended-day programs increased from about 13 percent to 47 percent between 1987 and 1999, research on the impact of after-school programs has been inconclusive.

The Every Student Succeeds Act will eventually be updated and reauthorized. The Afterschool Alliance is convening a work group to solicit input from a wide range of local, state and national stakeholders to help inform recommendations to Congress as part of an eventual reauthorization.

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