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Project Exploration 10-Year Retrospective Program Evaluation: Summative Report
Year Published: 2010
A 10-year retrospective study of the impact of Project Exploration, which has been providing personalized out-of-school time science programs to traditionally under-served middle and high school youth attending Chicago Public Schools since 1999. The study, which surveyed 30 percent of the 259 alumni in their database over the age of 18, found that participants in the program were performing well academically, with 95 percent of Project Exploration participants graduating from high school or on track to graduate, nearly double the overall rate of Chicago Public Schools. The study also found an increased interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields among Project Exploration alumni surveyed.
Program Name: Project Exploration
Program Description: Project Exploration has been providing personalized out-of-school time science programs to traditionally under-served youth since 1999 in Chicago, Illinois. The program provides students ages 12 to 17, most of whom are African-American or Latino and live in low-income families, with a youth-centered learning environment, introduces them to new topics in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) through hands-on activities, connects them with mentors—such as practicing scientists, and helps them build long-term relationships with adults.
Scope of the Evaluation: Local
Program Type: Afterschool
Location: Chicago, IL
Community Type: Urban
Grade level: Middle School, High School
Program Demographics: Eighty-five percent of student comes from low-income families, students are primarily African-American and Latino, and 74 percent are girls.
Program Website: http://www.projectexploration.org/
Evaluator: Chi, B., Snow, J.Z., Goldstein, D., Lee, S., & Chung, J. The Center for Research Evaluation & Assessment, Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley.
Evaluation Methods: In this 10-year retrospective study of program alumni, Project Exploration commissioned the Center for Research, Evaluation and Assessment (REA) at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley to do the initial evaluation of the program. REA surveyed 30 percent of Project Exploration youth through phone or email to answer two questions: (1) What was Project Exploration’s influence on past participants; (2) What are the organizational practices that support science learning for traditionally under-represented students in science. In addition to completing a survey about their program experience, a subset of respondents also participated in a telephone interview. As part of the final report, Project Exploration commissioned the Urban Education Institute at the University of Chicago and Harvard’s Program in Education, Afterschool and Resilience to review the findings of the REA study.
Evaluation Type: Non-experimental
Summary of Outcomes: The study found that participants in the program were performing well academically, where 95 percent of Project Exploration participants had graduated from high school or were on track to graduate, nearly double the overall rate of Chicago Public Schools.
The study also found an increased interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields among Project Exploration alumni surveyed. Based on students surveyed, 60 percent of former participants enrolled in a four-year college were pursuing degrees in STEM-related fields, 60 percent of students who had graduated college received a degree in a STEM-related field, and 88 percent of alumni said Project Exploration introduced them to STEM career options they had not previously considered.
Additionally, 83 percent said they felt they were part of a “special community”, 95 percent agreed or strongly agreed that adults showed an interest in their academic success, 91 percent agreed or strongly agreed that the program increased their self-confidence, and 89 percent felt better about their futures because of their experiences.
Associated Evaluation: http://www.projectexploration.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/lhs-final-report-10-year-eval.pdf
Date Added: December 19, 2016
