Science in After-School Market Research Study (2008)

In 2008, CSAS conducted a market study in partnership with the Center for Research, Evaluation, and Assessment (REA) at the Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS), University of California, Berkeley, with funding from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation. The purpose of the market study was to help answer some highly practical questions for CSAS, including: Which after-school programs are "doing" science? What exactly are they doing? What are their needs? By collecting data that answered these questions, CSAS proposed to gain a greater understanding of existing science programs in after-school settings. Among our key findings: 88% of after-school programs surveyed are offering science; 80% consider science a priority; but, very few are offering consistent programming, using curricula that has been designed and tested for after-school, and supporting the programming with staff development and evaluation.