Beat The Streets Wrestling

There is an extensive list of factors that contribute to the academic failure of youth from disadvantaged circumstances. Many of these factors are beyond the scope and capacity of the typical community based youth program.

Dr. Reginald Clark's research suggests there is some important ways after-school programs can affect achievement levels of youth. Clark's research demonstrates that an important predictor of these students' academic performance has to do with how they use their time in school.

Clark has found that low-achieving students spend most of their non-school hours involved in activities that have little benefit to them during their in-school time. High-achieving students, on the other hand, participate in more activities that reinforce the skills and knowledge they are learning in school.

Clark's research suggests that after-school programs can enable youth to become high-achieving students by incorporating 25-35 hours of these "fun" but academically beneficial activities that support the school related learning process - known as high-yield learning activities - throughout the daily program schedule.