This research summary was developed by Pathways to Education.

HERE’S HOW THE AUTHORS DESCRIBE THIS RESEARCH SUMMARY:

According to this study, a gap in academic achievement tends to form between students of higher and lower socioeconomic status during the early years of high school. However, the authors’ analysis of a local after-school program on the French island of Réunion demonstrates that a well-conceived, school-based and community-supported program can successfully engage and support students to help minimize the achievement gap.

The authors interviewed a group of 12 students who had left high school and then re-engaged by attending an after-school program called Il faut tout un village pour éduquer un enfant (It Takes an Entire Village to Educate a Child). A community-supported initiative, offered at the school, the program was developed to combat the high rate of youth leaving school without a diploma. The program offered mentoring and tutoring support with the goal of encouraging students to re-enroll.