Concrete_21st Century Grant_Year 3_Evaluation2021

Recommendations
Year 3 results provided evidence to support the value of the program in helping students
to make build relationships with adults, and develop important social emotional skills
needed to be successful in school. To continue to make improvements, we suggest the
following recommendations, which are a continuation of a more typical year of
programming:
Continue to build capacity for community and family partnerships.
A strong focus of the program has been cultivating positive partnerships with community
and family members. These partnerships should continue to be sought out and built upon
in the future, as they result in more positive experiences for students. One
recommendation is to expand the scope of partnerships to increasing volunteer
opportunities and service-learning projects, giving students a chance to explore their
interests in the community. Allowing student voice and choice is aligned with the
program mission and vision and will likely increase student engagement while providing
valuable, action-oriented experiences for students.
Increase student reflection in projects.
Results from the YPQA suggest that program leaders should increase opportunities for
student reflection into regular programming. Recommendations from the YPQA notes
“The skills of making plans for the future and learning from the past can help youth
succeed in school and life. These skills are tied into what brain scientists call executive
functions and play an important role in directing attention to task and decision making
that connects with consequences” (YPQA, 2017). Providing dedicated time, at the start or
end of an activity, gives students the opportunity to regularly reflect on their learning
throughout the program. These reflections can be verbal, written, or even illustrative, and
should include sharing their thoughts with peers. For example, students can be given exit
slips at the end of each program session that ask reflection questions such as “Today I
Learned….” Program leaders can also use this information to improve the student
experience. In light of current pandemic-based restrictions, these exit slips, or any
reflections, can be given online, through Google or Microsoft Forms.
Collect and Use Data
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THE BERC GROUP