honoring 15 years of the 21 st century community learning centers program a polity - centered analysis

America’s Schools Act of 1994, the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary School Act. In this act, Congress appropriated $750,000 for the 21st Century Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program, requiring that grants be made for “projects that benefit the educational, health, social service, cultural and recreational needs of a rural or inner city community.” Funds could be used for a wide array of purposes including literacy education; integrated education, health, social service, recreational, or cultural programs; summer and weekend school programs; and parenting skills programs. The first grants were awarded in 1995. Over the past 15 years, the 21st CCLC program has grown and changed. Today, it is the largest federal funding stream for afterschool programming, funneling $1.17 billion directly to states to support “the creation of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools” (U.S. Department of Education, 2009). The 21st CCLC program’s 15th anniversary is a suitable time to review its political history. As debates surrounding the next reauthorization of the by Sarah Fierberg Phillips