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The Impact of Afterschool STEM: EVOLUTIONS After School Program
Year Published: 2016
EVOLUTIONS (Evoking Learning and Understanding Through Investigations of the Natural Sciences) is a multi-year afterschool program for high school students at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. In this selection of evaluation data from the 2014-2015 school year, participants demonstrated gains along three major categories of youth outcomes—interest in STEM, capacity to engage in STEM, and finding value in STEM.
Program Name: EVOLUTIONS After School Program
Program Description: EVOLUTIONS (Evoking Learning and Understanding Through Investigations of the Natural Sciences) is a multi-year afterschool program for high school students at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. Students increase their scientific knowledge, learn about current research, grow their science communications skills, and participate in opportunities for college preparation and career awareness.
Scope of the Evaluation: Local
Program Type: Afterschool
Location: New Haven, CT
Community Type: Urban
Grade level: High School
Program Demographics: 60 percent girls. 80 percent racial or ethnic minorities and 70 percent eligible for free/ reduced meals at school. Approximately 25 percent speak a language other than English at home, and half are first generation college aspirants.
Program Website: http://evolutions.peabody.yale.edu
Evaluator: SageFox Consulting Group
Evaluation Methods: Outcome data is collected annually using pre- and post-tests, focus groups, and parent surveys. Longitudinal data is currently being collected to understand where students go after graduating high school.
Evaluation Type: Non-experimental
Outcomes:
Below is a selection of evaluation data reported by the program around three major categories of youth outcomes—interest in STEM, capacity to productively engage in STEM, and finding value in STEM. These outcomes are an excerpt from a 2016 Afterschool Alliance paper, "The Impact of Afterschool STEM: Examples from the Field."
- Youth found EVOLUTIONS highly valuable, 100 percent of freshmen, as well as 81 percent of students in grades 10 and 11, planned on re-enrolling the following year. Students cited the knowledge gained on college and careers, paid job opportunities, access to science learning, and having fun as the top benefits of participation.
Capacity: I can do this
- As a direct result of participation, 88 percent of graduating seniors reported an increase in communication skills, 82 percent increased their ability to work in team and 71 percent improved their writing skills.
- Among all students, 74 percent reported an increase in science literacy and 71 percent said they improved their field research skills.
Value: This is important to me
- Participation in EVOLUTIONS was especially impactful for freshman— almost half now believe they will go into a science field after graduation (33 percent to 47 percent) and 94 percent gained a better understanding of the connection between high school academics, college academics and careers.
- More than three-quarters of parents said that the program had helped their children prepare for college and 63 percent said that participation had increased their child’s performance in school (22 percent were unsure).
Associated Evaluation: http://afterschoolalliance.org/documents/AfterschoolSTEMImpacts2016.pdf
Program Profile: View program profile
