Although after-school homework programs appear to benefit children who are at risk for school failure, there are several other factors that need to be considered in evaluating their impact. As noted, children spend their time after school in many different ways and with a significant range in supervision. While after-school homework programs provide structure and supervision, as well as academic assistance, there are other types of extracurricular activities that may benefit children and that may be unavailable if they attend homework programs.
Studies have shown that involvement in extracurricular activities is associated with school engagement and achievement (Cooper, Valentine, Nye, & Lindsey, 1999; Gerber, 1996; Jordan, 2000; Mahoney & Cairns, 1997). These studies typically assess involvement in non-academic activities, most of which occur after school hours. Rather than divert students from meeting their academic goals, studies find that students engaged in extracurricular activities--including sports, service clubs, and art activities--are less likely to drop out (Mahoney & Cairns, 1997) and more likely to have higher academic achievement (Gerber, 1996). Of particular importance, students at risk for school failure appear to benefit even more from participation in extracurricular activities than do children who are normal achievers. Most researchers believe that involvement in extracurricular activities has an indirect impact on achievement by increasing connectedness to the school and by helping to build student strengths, thereby increasing self-esteem and positive social networks. Mahoney and Cairns (1997) note that while remedial academic programs "focus on the deficits of students," involvement in high interest, non-academic activities "provides a gateway into conventional social networks... through the maintenance and enhancement of positive characteristics of the individual that strengthen the student-school connection" (p. 248). One caveat is that school-based activities tend to be more associated with school connectedness than are community-based activities or employment. Further, there is a curvilinear relationship between extracurricular activities, such that levels of outside activity can be too high to allow students to also focus on their schoolwork.
These findings suggest that extracurricular activities can benefit student achievement, although this is not a black and white issue. For example, while "no play" rules that prohibit students with low GPAs from participating in extracurricular activities may provide a needed incentive to some students, in other instances this rule may increase the student's risk for school failure. Educators need to be concerned that after-school homework programs do not replace other non-academic extracurricular activities because these activities may also promote student resilience. Activities should enhance student engagement to the school while allowing time for homework to occur.