Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important outcomes or findings not previously reported:
Three factors are key to school success: 1) attendance, 2)test scores, and 3)homework. This program's biggest measurable outcome was 94% homework completion recorded for 14, 132 tutor sessions.
The second major outcome was broad attendance across the Vegas Valley, with 2,089 unduplicated students finding the services in 8 library branch locations. These students came from 370 local schools, which shows that the word about this new library service got out and students of all ages found the program.
Most of the transformational outcomes were collected from surveys with parents, tutors and students. Across the board, there were personal stories of kids who gained confidence, improved grades, felt better about school generally, and who enjoyed school more because they could raise their hands and answer their teachers' questions.
Parent outcomes generally pointed to better relationships with their students and a sense of peace in the household after school, because homework had already been completed at the library.
This project is an example of how public libraries can respond directly to the highest community challenges. In the case of the Vegas Valley, the program was launched because community and school leaders said after school homework help was critical. Parents also asked for more help but the school district did not have the funding to do the program. In this local context, the Library District and Library Foundation began partnering to bring CCSD teachers to libraries as tutors. This instills confidence in the service and ensures that students and parents get help that is correct, aligned with core standards of the school district, and that is conveniently located in neighborhood branch libraries. The corporate foundation response with new resources to keep the program growing affirms the demand and the funders' comfort with program impact data and results.
Please briefly describe the importance of these outcomes and findings for future program planning:
Anecdotal stories:
"One of our regular students has been coming to us for the last two years. She came from another country and did not speak any English. She is in second grade. She has blossomed with her English language. She now serves as a translator when we need to communicate with her mom. She also helps with her younger siblings during tutoring time as well." -Andson Tutor at Sunrise Library
"One of our 3rd grade students started out with us by attending only once--maybe twice a week. He hardly ever spoke to us, and quickly exited the library the second he completed his homework. After spending time with us, subtle differences began to occur. Nowadays, as one of our regulars, he consistently shows up for tutoring, 4 days a week, stays with us the entire 2-hour session, and on most days, prior to starting his homework, he deems it necessary to briefly apprise us of how his day/weekend went. This young student is clearly going through an enormously positive transformation. He has come out of his shell, displays more self-confidence, and most important of all, reads with us every day ... which has greatly improved his vocabulary, reading fluency, and writing skills! (As a side note: Most people do not realize that CCSD students now receive both a speaking and a listening grade on their report cards!)" - Andson Tutor at West Las Vegas Library
"I'd like to highlight 7th grader Jayden. He's a local kid who attends the junior high less than a half-mile away. Jayden comes in for homework help at least three (but sometimes four) times per week. He maintains an excellent attitude and works diligently while working with Andson tutors or aides. Jayden announced that he has done so well on his ALEKS online math assignments, that his teacher has advanced him to the next grade level. Woohoo!" - Andson Tutor at Whitney Library
Explain one or two of the most significant lessons learned for others wanting to adopt any facets of this project:
Taking the program from idea to implementation here involved several critical steps:
1)Start small and grow bigger.
2) Branches work with each other to develop systems to handle high demand,
3) collect data on unduplicated counts, surveys, and daily statistics,
4) send funders hard data, anecdotal stories and pictures,
5) its a great media story!
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort in managing this project:
Yes
Explain:
The demand for this program only continues to grow. This year's Windmill branch site immediately attracted a new following of students, with 1,937 sessions. The fastest growing program is in one of our smallest branches, Spring Valley, with 3,996 homework help sessions delivered last year alone. The program is also a hit in Centennial Hills,
the branch with the largest home-school population.
The Foundation successfully used this LSTA grant to secure close to $250,000 in new funding for the program, some of which went to the match for the LSTA grant ($125,000) and the remainder of which will go to continuation funding of the program this year. The program is gaining attention from the largest corporate foundations in our area: MGM Resorts, United Way of Southern Nevada, and Windsong Trust. The Library District Foundation will continue to solicit and attract new funding for a program that is evidence-based and a high priority for the community that is focused on improving conditions for educational achievement.
Do you anticipate changing the types of activities and objectives addressed by the project:
No
Explain:
Was an evaluation conducted for this project:
No
Was a final written evaluation report produced:
No
Can the final written evaluation report be shared publicly on the IMLS website:
No
Was the evaluation conducted by project staff (either SLAA or local library) or by a third-party evaluator:
Third-Party
What data collection tools were used for any report outcomes and outputs:
Did you collect any media for the data:
What types of methods were used to analyze collected data:
Other:
How were participants (or items) selected:
What type of research design did you use to compare the value for any reported output or outcome:
