220 THEORY INTO PRACTICE / Summer 2004 Homework The role of homework needs to be considered within the context of the broader developmental needs of children. This article focuses on how children spend their time after school and how homework, as well as other activities, can contribute to school suc- cess. Children differ in their after-school experi- ences, from “latchkey” children who lack supervision and structure, to the overextended child engaged in multiple extracurricular activities with little time for unstructured play. The authors sum- marize research on the impact of after-school ac- tivities—including homework programs—on school performance and make recommendations with re- gard to best practices for children who differ in their resources, abilities, and interests. Balancing homework with other aspects of the child’s home life to promote positive developmental outcomes is recommended. N ATIONAL CONCERNS HAVE BEEN raised about the number of children who do not have su- pervised activities after school. The U.S. Depart- ment of Justice (1999) reported that the peak time for juvenile crime is between 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. on school days, the period after school until par- ents typically return from work. The results of the Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Re- port suggest that after-school programs have greater potential for reducing juvenile crime than imposi- tion of a juvenile curfew. Structured after-school activities have also been associated with higher educational outcomes. Jordan and Nettles (2000), in their analysis of data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988, found that student participation in struc- tured activities, religious activities, and time with adults during 10th grade had a significant positive impact on educational outcomes for those same stu- dents in 12th grade. Conversely, students who spent more unstructured time (e.g., hanging out with peers) were at greater risk of negative educational outcomes. The authors provide a model reflecting that in addition to student characteristics and fac- tors inherent in the school context, the investments students make during their off hours in themselves and in their community affects their investment in schooling and, consequently, their performance in school. It is important to note that the extracurric- ular activities examined in the study were broad- based, and did not specifically include homework assistance programs. Clearly, how children and adolescents spend their time after school is a critical determinant of Merith Cosden Gale Morrison Lisa Gutierrez Megan Brown The Effects of Homework Programs and After-School Activities on School Success THEORY INTO PRACTICE, Volume 43, Number 3, Summer 2004 Copyright © 2004 College of Education, The Ohio State University Merith Cosden and Gale Morrison are professors, and Lisa Gutierrez and Megan Brown are graduate stu- dents, all at the Gevirtz Graduate School of Educa- tion, University of California, Santa Barbara.