At ServeMinnesota, research 和 evaluation are central to our work. We base programs on research 和 we use evaluations to continually improve those programs over time. 这种方式, we’re making sure that each person who signs up to serve with AmeriCorps is bound to make a difference for Minnesota.
These are the key findings from our research this year – 和 how they relate to the challenges Minnesota is facing. 这项工作的大部分是由 国家科学与服务合作组织 (NSSC), which is a collective of researchers who study AmeriCorps 和 help improve ServeMinnesota’s programs.
抗击流行病中断的学习
我们已经知道的: Minnesota’s students were enormously affected by the p和emic 和 their reading 和 math skills have not rebounded. Our 澳门皇冠国际官方APP客户端 programs provide evidence-based tutoring to school districts across the state – which is one of the best ways to help students build their skills up to grade level. These programs have been proven to work repeatedly 和 are aligned with the evidence on how students learn.
今年我们学到的是:
- Math Corps doesn’t just help students strengthen math skills – it also helps them build confidence in math 和 a sense of belonging in school. We know from research that interpersonal aspects of learning are especially influential in math, 所以这对数学队的学生来说是个好消息. 阅读报告.
- Reading Corps tutors can work with more than one student at once with no change in student outcomes. This means that they can support more students within one school without compromising on impact. 阅读报告.
- We examined Reading Corps students’ scores to help tutors 和 their supervisors know when to adjust tutoring strategies. This helps make tutoring even more responsive to individual student needs. 阅读报告.
建设一支熟练的劳动力队伍
我们已经知道的: 明尼苏达州迫切需要更多的公共卫生技术人员, 能源效率, 澳门皇冠国际官方APP客户端, 还有很多其他行业. AmeriCorps programs offer entry-level connections to these industries, 和 several programs offer support with certifications 和 澳门皇冠国际官方APP客户端 opportunities. We also knew that hundreds of AmeriCorps alumni work in 澳门皇冠国际官方APP客户端, 在非营利组织, 在州和地方政府, 以及其他高需求领域.
今年我们学到的是:
- 去年，我们首次为会员开展了职业调查. 在服务开始和结束时拍摄, the survey helps us gauge the impact AmeriCorps has on members’ career development.
- 74% (208) of surveyed members* felt their AmeriCorps program helped prepare them for a future career. 在项目, about 80% (213) of surveyed members planned to pursue a career in their program’s field. This helps show that our programs provide strong preparation for members in the area in which they’re serving.
*注:我们调查了明尼苏达州和其他州的367名成员, 所以一些被调查的成员在明尼苏达州以外的地方服务. 267名成员填写了离职调查. 我们将在一月份公布更多的调查结果!
加强环境复原力
我们已经知道的: 干旱, 森林大火, 洪水侵蚀, intense storms – Minnesota’s communities are grappling with climate challenges 和 working to protect the state’s beautiful environment. Our environmental programs help Minnesota communities respond to these challenges, 节约资源, 建立他们的劳动力, 增强他们的适应力.
今年我们学到的是:
- Our researchers dove into existing research 和 found that tightly-knit communities are more resilient 和 more likely to take environmental action. 通过这项研究, they designed a new group of service opportunities that help communities build two elements of strong, 弹性社区:社会资本和地方感.
- Evaluators found a way for service site organizations to have more choice over member’s service activities. This helps the organizations make sure members are focusing where they’ll make the most impact.
将明尼苏达州人跨代联系起来
我们已经知道的: 不同群体——城市和农村——之间的鸿沟, 随着时间的推移，年轻人和老年人都在加深. 所有年龄段的人都为美国志愿队服务, 从18岁到80多岁的明尼苏达州人, 并且经常在同一地点一起服务.
今年我们学到的是:
- 在一项调查中, Math Corps 和 Reading Corps tutors said they interact often with tutors of another generation. Tutors said they were able to share resources, ideas, 和 solutions with each other. One member reflected that their AmeriCorps experience “significantly broadened my underst和ing of people from diverse age groups.” 请看演示.
视界研究
我们有一些正在进行或尚未完成的研究. 我们每年做一次, 严格的评估, which involve surveying AmeriCorps members 和 partner organizations to identify areas of improvement. We also work on special projects that require years to see results, some of which include:
- In partnership with Lehigh University 和 the University of Wisconsin Madison, 在美国的资助下.S. 澳门皇冠国际官方APP客户端部, we are exploring how Reading Corps helps maintain students’ reading success after they complete tutoring.
- 由儿童信托基金资助, we are collaborating with the University of North Carolina’s Child Development Institute to study the effectiveness 和 cultural responsiveness of 早教团 in Florida. This will help us to explore 早教团’s impact 和 how we can make the program even more culturally responsive for students.
- 恢复队将与Dr. David Best at the Recovery Research Institute to provide deeper insights into members’ own well-being 和 their perceived capacity to support others.
- 在23-24学年, we are exp和ing the career development survey for AmeriCorps members to include more programs. 我们还在进行有史以来第一次校友调查. This will help us to gauge how AmeriCorps is a tool for career development in Minnesota.
