Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Shrinking the federal government’s role in education should not consist of defunding after-school programs that combat against issues of truancy, at-risk youth prevention, and accessibility to academically enrichment programs. Truancy has been clearly identified as one of the early warning signs of students headed for potential delinquent activity, social isolation, or educational failure via suspension, expulsion, or dropping out. Time away from the classroom hurts a student’s chance to succeed and, as a result, limits their exposure to even greater endeavors. Students who miss school are more likely to face lifelong social and economic challenges as opposed to those who attend school regularly. The need for after-school programs suggests that the budget cuts made are untimely and are counterproductive in developing students overall proficiency. The purpose of this study is to explain and provide an understanding of the impact of after-school programs by analyzing truancy rates, assessing factors that are associated with at-risk youth, and measuring the impact of student exposure to academically enrichment programs in disadvantage rural and urban areas. This paper analyzed factual evidence to describe the main challenges combating truancy, including absenteeism, positive exposure, and at-risk youth prevention. It’s based upon organizational behavioral which investigates the impact that individuals, groups and structure have on behavior within organizations, for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving an organization’s effectiveness. I used data from the U.S. Department of Education proposing student participation in Community Learning Centers leads to improvements in student achievement and behavior. Schools that collaborate with social workers, counselors, mentors, tutors, after-school or early learning programs, and health or social service agencies to provide students with the support they need results in lower truancy rates and reduces delinquency.