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Regional data from the America After 3PM STEM special report

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Regional data from the America After 3PM STEM special report

By Bella DiMarco Posted: Oct 05, 2021

Following last month’s release of the America After 3PM special report, “STEM Learning in Afterschool on the Rise, But Barriers and Inequities Exist,” which included national and state-level data, we recently released city-level data for seven areas across the country—Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; Greater Richmond, Virginia; and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta region. The data gives a closer look at STEM programming in afterschool at the local level.

In many regards, the local results are in line with national level data, which finds that afterschool programs are offering more STEM learning opportunities, but inequities exist and too many young people are missing out. Some specific findings include:

  • In Allegheny County, more parents report that their child’s afterschool program offers STEM learning opportunities in 2020 compared to 2014 (94 percent vs. 76 percent).
  • STEM and computer science learning opportunities are more important to parents when choosing an afterschool program in cities such as Greater Richmond (87 percent) and Atlanta (75 percent) compared to the state averages (Virginia- 66 percent, Georgia- 67 percent).
  • In both Boston (91 percent) and Chicago (80 percent), a higher percentage of parents report that their child’s afterschool program offers STEM learning opportunities compared to the state averages (Massachusetts- 77 percent, Illinois- 72 percent).
  • More than 9 in 10 parents in the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta region support public funding for afterschool programs (93 percent).
  • More parents in Los Angeles agree that afterschool programs help children gain interest and skills in STEM compared to California overall (86 percent vs. 82 percent).

To learn more about STEM programming at the city-level and find more results like these, visit the America After 3PM STEM dashboard or take a look at the STEM fact sheets for Allegheny County, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Greater Richmond, and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta region.

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