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Year Published: 2016
STEM 3D: Integrating Science Afterschool, a project of The Franklin Institute, engages underserved youth and families in year-round STEM learning and career awareness through a combination of afterschool, home and community activities. 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: STEM 3D: Integrating Science Afterschool
Program Description: STEM 3D: Integrating Science Afterschool is a project of The Franklin Institute, and its goal is to engage underserved youth and families in year-round STEM learning and career awareness through a combination of afterschool, home and community activities. In partnership with city-funded out-of-school time programs, The Franklin Institute supports afterschool facilitators in order to impact children’s sense of identity in STEM and to identify ways in which underrepresented groups come to understand, value and promote STEM content and careers.
Scope of the Evaluation: Local
Program Type: Afterschool
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Community Type: Urban
Grade level: Elementary School
Program Demographics: 50 percent girls, 41 percent Asian / Pacific Islander, 40 percent African American, 15 percent Latino, 4 percent Caucasian, 35 percent speak a language other than English at home.
Program Website: https://www.fi.edu/stem-3d-integrating-science-afterschool
Evaluator: Creative Research & Evaluation, LLC
Evaluation Methods: Evaluation data are collected through structured site visits, facilitator interviews and surveys. STEM 3D uses the Program in Education, Afterschool and Resiliency (PEAR) at Harvard University’s Common Instrument to measure STEM interest and engagement, and the Holistic Student Assessment to assess 21st century skills.
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