Evaluation: Transition to Success Pilot Project

Posted by on June 4, 2004

We are pleased to release the evaluation report of the Transition to Success Pilot Project, which demonstrates that a more comprehensive approach to supporting at-risk children’s after-school needs can pay large dividends by boosting their academic performance and self-confidence. It is the first comprehensive evaluation of the impact of after-school programs in Boston that also includes a comparison to a similar group not enrolled in programs.

Operating in the 2001 – 2002 school year, the Transition to Success Pilot Project (TSPP) was an initiative that aimed to strengthen the academic and social development of a group of Boston’s most academically at-risk school children by providing them with quality after-school programming and connecting their parents and families more deeply with their child’s school. These children participated in this programming in addition to the intensive academic tutoring they received through the Boston Public Schools Transition Program. The TSPP was a collaboration among Massachusetts 2020, the City of Boston through its 2:00-to-6:00 After-School Initiative (and now part of the Boston Centers for Youth & Families), and the Boston Public Schools (BPS).

The evaluation of the project found that students involved in the pilot significantly outperformed – in their school attendance, class grades and promotion rates – other academically at-risk BPS students receiving only remedial tutoring after school. In addition, parents, teachers, program staff and the students themselves reported high levels of satisfaction with the after-school programs and their capacity to enhance student engagement in learning, to encourage the development of their social skills and to increase parental involvement in their child’s education. In fact, most students exhibited healthy attitudes towards school and relatively high self-esteem, characteristics not typically associated with academically at-risk students.

To download a copy of the report and to get additional information on the research methods and tools, visit the publications page of our website at: http://www.mass2020.org/research_mass2020.html.

David A. Farbman, Ph.D.
Research Director
Massachusetts 2020
18 Tremont Street, Suite 1120
Boston, MA 02108
ph: (617) 723-6747
fx: (617) 723-6746
http://www.mass2020.org/