The 21st Century Community Learning Center program is intended to provide expanded learning opportunities for students, particularly students attending low-performing schools with at least a 40 percent poverty rate. The program is intended to use hours beyond the traditional school day to provide academic support for students to meet state and local standards in core academic subjects, as well as provide students with a broad array of enrichment activities that could complement their regular academic programs. The 21st Century program has grown significantly since its inception, expanding from only $40 million in 1998 to $1 billion with its inclusion in the 2002 No Child Left Behind reauthorization of ESEA. Funding has remained relatively flat ever since, peaking at $1.16 billion in FY 2010.
The money is distributed by formula from the federal government to all states, which then disburse the funds to school districts and after-school providers through competitive grants. Partnerships between schools and outside groups are prioritized in the application process, though both schools and independent organizations routinely apply and receive grants on their own. According to the Department of Education’s most recent published report, 66 percent of the grants went to school districts, 16 percent to community groups, 4 percent to national non-profits, and the remaining 14 percent went to a variety of other organizations, including for-profit providers. Regardless of the grant recipient, approximately 9 out of 10 programs are housed in public schools.
Despite the fact that almost all 21st Century programs are sited in schools, and that the bulk of funding goes directly to schools, 21st Century programs are strictly limited to non-school hours. Programs can operate either before or after the regular school day or on days when school is not in session. Under current program restrictions, a school that had a grant for a voluntary afterschool program serving a limited number of students would not be allowed to apply for the same funding as part of a full-school redesign that expanded its hours for all of its students. Even if it incorporated the same afterschool program elements and the same community partners during the same hours, while providing extensive improvements throughout the day and to the full student body, the school would lose the funding.
Several recent proposals would add flexibility to the 21st Century program and allow local school leaders to continue providing afterschool programs while also giving them the latitude to choose whole-school reforms to improve the entire day for all students. The changes can be made in a way that ensures that students’ needs are put first, while still helping to build strong partnerships between schools and community organizations. The Obama administration’s Blueprint for Reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, its annual education budget proposals, and the Senate-passed FY2011 education appropriations bill all would have made the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program more flexible and effective by allowing funding to also support expanded-time schools.