As we are a mostly volunteer organization: our “jobs” do not depend on the success of our projects, so we can be honest about what is working (and what is not) and avoid the “success bias” most charities have.
We enter into each project with a clear set of goals and measure our success in achieving these goals every three months. Students and teachers are required to do monthly video portfolio reviews on computers. Our teachers live in the communities where they work from Monday-Thursday and are therefore in a good position to not only interpret the students’ presentations but also to comment on the other indicators we use. The menu of indicators reflects our interest in a holistic outcome for our work.
The Impact Indicators we use
1. Attendance
2. Academics
-mathematics – mathematical reasoning
-communications – comprehension, writing
-sciences/civics
-computer skills
3. Critical Thinking
-analysis
-evaluation
-creation and justification of opinions
4. Creativity
-divergent thinking
-originality
5. Values and resilience
-personal: introspective
-social: empathy
-environmental: stewardship and interconnectivity
6. Hours invested per child
7. Students attempting and passing post-secondary school entrance exams
8. Parental engagement
-attendance at meetings
-home strategy – capacity
-contraparte
9. Ancillary non-education community benefits
10. Implementation of teaching methods
-Alma teachers
-State teachers
You can learn more about how we measure success in our Five Year Annual Report.
If this resonates with you, let us know! We are looking for supporters who appreciate the messy work of actually creating long-term change!