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Year Published: 2016
Science Minors Clubs is an outreach initiative of the Museum of Science and Industry aimed at increasing interest in science in underserved neighborhoods by engaging students in places where they already spend their time after school, such as community-based organizations and schools. In this selection of evaluation data from the 2013-2014 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: Science Minors Clubs
Program Description: Science Minors Clubs is an outreach initiative of the Museum of Science and Industry aimed at increasing interest in science in underserved neighborhoods by engaging students in places where they already spend their time after school, such as community-based organizations and schools. Participants work together on STEM projects and activities that build curiosity and encourage teamwork.
Scope of the Evaluation: Multi-city, Local
Program Type: Afterschool
Location: Chicago, IL and its suburbs, as well as northwest Indiana
Community Type: Rural, Urban, Suburban
Grade level: Elementary School
Program Demographics: 48 percent African-American, 36 percent Hispanic/Latino, 8 percent Caucasian, 6 percent Asian-American/ Pacific Islander; 87 percent qualify for federal free or reduced price lunch.
Program Website: http://www.msichicago.org/education/out-of-school-time/science-minors-clubs
Evaluator: Museum of Science and Industry in-house evaluation team
Evaluation Methods: The museum’s in-house research and evaluation team collects data sources using student intake forms, weekly attendance reporting, surveys, facilitator reflections and site observations. Program implementation, effectiveness and usability of the curriculum and pedagogical approaches, impact of the professional development training, and community perceptions of the museum have also been evaluated.
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."
Capacity: I can do this
Value: This is important to me
Associated Evaluation: http://afterschoolalliance.org/documents/AfterschoolSTEMImpacts2016.pdf