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Boys and Girls Club Project Learn

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

The Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) promotes health, social skills development, education, character building, and leadership in youths, especially those at risk. BGCA succeeds in this goal by offering a wide variety of programs designed to enhance the lives of children and adolescents. The Project Learn program involves enhancing the educational performance of economically disadvantaged adolescents who live in public housing. Program delivery teams consist of local BGCA staff, representatives from the youths' schools, the housing authority, resident councils of the local public housing developments, and parent leaders. Each week the program engages youths in structured activities designed to improve educational enhancement. Youths are given incentives such as school supplies, field trips, additional computer time, and special privileges within their local Boys and Girls Club. Parents are encouraged to become involved in the program by helping their child with homework; reading, discussing current events, and playing board games with their child; and taking part in other educational skill acquisition.

Goal / Mission

The goal of this program is to improve the educational performance of economically disadvantaged adolescents.

Impact

After 30 months, program youths reported significantly greater enjoyment and engagement in reading, verbal skills, writing, and tutoring. They also had better overall averages in reading, spelling, history, science, social studies, and school attendance compared with comparison and control youths.

Results / Accomplishments

Project Learn was evaluated using a quasi-experimental, three-arm research design. At 30 months, program youths reported significantly greater enjoyment and engagement in reading, verbal skills, writing, and tutoring. They also had better overall averages in reading, spelling, history, science, social studies, and school attendance compared with comparison and control youths. Program and comparison youths had significantly more positive reading skills, writing skills, game skills, overall school performance, and interest in class material than the control group.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Boys and Girls Clubs of America
Primary Contact
National Headquarters
1275 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30309-3506
(404) 487-5700
info@bgca.org
http://www.bgca.org/
Topics
Education / Student Performance K-12
Education / Literacy
Economy / Poverty
Organization(s)
Boys and Girls Clubs of America
Source
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Model Programs Guide (MPG)
Date of publication
2000
For more details
http://www.bgca.org/whatwedo/EducationCareer/Pages...
https://www.crimesolutions.gov/ProgramDetails.aspx...
Target Audience
Children

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Related Content for: Boys and Girls Club Project Learn

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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