Age range

Website: www.groundworkinc.org

Mission/Goals: Groundwork's mission is to help young people living in high poverty urban communities develop their strengths, skills, talents and competencies through effective experiential learning and work programs.

Source: www.guidestar.org

Notes: Programs include an after-school program and seven-week full day summer program offering comprehensive services including: academic enrichment, service learning, tutoring, mental health counseling and family support services, family literacy, financial literacy, local and overnight field trips, leadership development, arts and music, and technology education.

Type of Evaluation: Outcomes Monitoring

Objective: To examine the influence of the Groundwork program on outcomes for low-income children in New York.

Sample: The sample comprised 451 low-income students who were enrolled in the program in 2004. These children were primarily enrolled in first through fourth grade (59%); boys (55%); and aged 9 to 12 years (57%).

Methodology: The evaluation design consisted of four components: student interviews, student focus groups, parent interviews (telephone), parent surveys, senior team leader surveys and reading specialist surveys. A total of 182 parent surveys, 284 child surveys, 296 team leader surveys, and 316 reading specialist surveys were completed. Data were also collected from report cards.

Outcomes Examined: Academic skills (vocabulary scores, comprehension scores, grade improvement), intellectual skills, interpersonal skills, self-management skills, and social skills.

Measurement Instruments: Self administered questionnaires to parents, children, team leaders, and reading specialists.

Impact/Outcome Findings: Participants in the 2004 program attended the program an average of 82% of the time, a substantial improvement from attendance in 2003. Average self-management skills improved significantly throughout the year among participants who did not receive counseling services. The majority of participants who did and did not receive counseling services improved their self-management and academic skills from the beginning to the end of the year. The comparison of grade assessments indicated that vocabulary scores indicated that 26% of the participants improved their percentile ranks by at least 5 percentage points, 48% declines and 26% did not change. Although the data indicated that the majority of participants improved their grades in communication, arts and academic skills remained high. Almost half of the participants with grade assessment data declined in their vocabulary scores, but the sample for this measure was too small for meaningful analysis. Participants showed improvement in six graded areas; the largest percentage was in communication arts.

Study: Cronin, T. (2004). The Status of Participants in the Groundwork for Youth Elementary After-School Program. Accord, NY: Philliber Research Associates.

Other evaluations of Groundwork for Youth include:
Ho, W. (2003). Groundwork and Youth Development: A Qualitative Evaluation.