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  • The NJ LEEP/Legal Outreach model has been called by the National Law Journal “one of the few diversity programs with a proven track record of long-term success.”  Legal Outreach has been working with low-income urban youth for 25 years in New York City.  NJ LEEP has been working with low-income urban youth in New Jersey for 3 years.

  • In 3 years of programming, NJ LEEP has secured sponsorship and partnership from over 25 law firms and corporations.  Committed legal partners include The Prudential Law Department, McCarter & English LLP, Patton Boggs LLP, Gibbons PC, Sills, Cummis and Gross PC, Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Jersey, Toys R Us, UMDNJ Law Department, LeClairRyan, and others.

  • NJ LEEP works with urban students and families continuously for four years, including after-school, Saturdays, and summers.

  • NJ LEEP served 396 students in 2008-09 (70 of these students were in the College Bound Program, 280 were in the Community Law/”Street Law” Program, and 116 were in program partnerships.)  In three years of programming, NJ LEEP has directly served more than 1,000 youth.  NJ LEEP currently has 61 high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors in its College Bound Program.  As of the fall of 2010, NJ LEEP will have 80 freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors in its intensive four-year College Bound Program.

  • In NJ LEEP summer programming in 2009, NJ LEEP’s junior class raised its SAT scores from diagnostics to the actual SAT by an average of 330 points to reach an average score that is 260 points higher than the average of Newark residents.

  • Participants in NJ LEEP’s four-year college bound program receive the following services: 1)  Summer Law Institute 2)  Mock trial competition 3)  After-school tutoring 4) Saturday grammar and writing instruction 5)  Paid summer legal internships 6)  Attorney mentoring 7) Constitutional law debates 8)  Summer Princeton Review SAT prep 9)  Parent educational workshops 10)  College trips 11)  A five page recommendation from NJ LEEP 12)  Assistance in applying to college and for scholarships 13)  On-site social worker 14)  Love, compassion and accountability.

  • NJ LEEP students attend programming 170 days per year.  Youth attend the average out-of-school programs in the Unite States only 50 days/year.

Chart 1:  NJ LEEP High School Program Retention Rate Compared to the Retention Rates of other Out-of-School Time Programs

Chart 2:  Percentage of NJ LEEP students attending mandatory NJ LEEP programming and average attendance rates for other After-School Programs

Chart 3: The average number of days in programming for College Bound NJ LEEP participants in 2008-09, verses the average number of days in programming for participants in other out of school time programs

Chart 4: The growth in writing and grammar skills of NJ LEEP students in 2008-09 as measured in pre-program assessment exams verses post-program assessment exams


NJ After-3 supports various after-school programs serving 15,000 youth throughout New Jersey.  Statistics are from an evaluation of NJ After-3 programs in 2005-08.  See Karen Walking Eagle, et. Al., Evaluation of New Jersey After 3:  Reaching and Engaging New Jersey’s Youth through After School Programs, 2005-08 (April 2009).  This report also relates the results of a similar study of after school programs in New York City (“New York” statistics in chart).  Although they may exist, NJ LEEP is unaware of any studies measuring retention in after-school programs for 2 years or more.

“California” statistics refer to an evaluation of CORAL after school programs throughout California.  “21st Century” statistics refer to an evaluation of federally funded after school programs throughout the United States.  See Walking Eagle et. Al, supra note 1.