The current emphasis on performance standards and testing has led schools to look to the after-school hours as time that can be spent developing children's academic skills. This digest describes types of after-school programs and discusses recent research on who participates and the effects of participation on children's school performance. The digest points out that after-school programs are sponsored and operated by many different groups, and that the programs vary in terms of their philosophy, goals, and programming. The digest then highlights research indicating that children from high-risk backgrounds have both the most to gain from after-school programs in terms of educational opportunity and the least access to after-school programs. The digest concludes by asserting that if educational benefits are the goal of after-school programs, attention needs to be focused on the quality of programs and the activities that are offered. (Contains 11 references.) (LPP)