Preparing the Next Generation of After-School Educators: College Students' Perceived Learning and Civic Engagement Associated with the CASE Program

First-year evaluation findings from the University of California, Irvine Department of Education's Certificate in After-School Education (CASE) program are reported in this paper. The goal of CASE is to promote positive youth development in diverse learners through education and training of the after-school workforce. CASE blends instruction across five, 10-week long courses with 70+ hours of fieldwork in local after-school programs (ASPs). CASE course and fieldwork enrollment, perceived understanding of course material, multicultural education, and civic interests and engagement were measured through student surveys. Students in CASE courses report higher levels of perceived course understanding (p<.01), civic responsibility (p<.01) and empowerment (p<.05) than students in the non-CASE courses. Students enrolled in CASE courses requiring fieldwork report greater perceived course understanding (p<.01) and academic engagement (p<.01) than CASE students without fieldwork. The findings suggest the program is achieving several of its early goals.