Executive Summary

For the 2011-12 evaluation SFBI contracted evaluator Moira DeNike to lay out an evaluation framework that would capture the multi-layered work of the initiative, including work happening at the community, school and family levels which previous evaluation efforts had not emphasized. The proposed framework was approved by DCYF and the Beacon Steering Committee and crafted in order to align with SFBI’s concurrent effort in 2011 to develop a new communication strategy. This new evaluation framework forms the structure and methods of this evaluation study.

The OMG Center for Collaborative Learning, June 2009 Full Report The Beacons Young Adolescent Initiative, funded by Atlantic Philanthropies (APS), was a four-year initiative of the Youth Development Institute (YDI). The initiative sought to improve outcomes for young adolescents (ages 9-14) by increasing their participation, engagement, and retention in high quality activities at the Beacon centers. This evaluation report covers

Social Policy Research Associates, November 2008 Executive Summary Full Report In 2007, SFBI underwent a major strategic planning process to re-examine SFBI’s alignment with the Beacon vision and mission. In conjunction with this process, the goal of this evaluation was to take stock of the usefulness of the evaluation tools, data, and analysis while assuring alignment of the evaluation with

Resource Development Associates, July 2007 Full Report This report is a snapshot of caregiver and family involvement in the Beacon Centers’ programs. RDA interviewed a relatively small selection of Beacon Center participant caregivers and surveyed at least one Program Manager from every Beacon. Based on these qualitative interviews and surveys, this evaluation illustrates the ways in which Beacon Centers meet

Resource Development Associates, Fall 2006 Full Report In Year Three of the RDA evaluation (2005-2006) the majority of the Beacon Centers continued to be comprehensive program environments where youth felt safe, were encouraged to succeed, and learned to build a sense of community. Beacon Centers were seen as working to meet the needs of students and the surrounding community. This

Resource Development Associates, February 2006 Full Report Telephone interviews, survey results, and written and oral input inform this analysis of San Francisco’s citywide Youth Development program, the San Francisco Beacon Initiative. The data show that the field of Youth Development is emerging conceptually, even as administrators face a high turnover rate, patchy opportunities for professional development, and the funding challenges

Resource Development Associates, Fall 2005 Full Report Following the first evaluation of the Quality Standards, in year two the evaluation expanded its focus by taking its next step toward assessing all of the Quality Standards and began to analyze Long-Term Standards and Outcomes.  Most Beacon centers met many of the standards, with a significant number changing from “In Progress” in

Full Report In 2004 SFBI instituted a comprehensive set of Quality Standards to guide the continuous improvement of the eight Beacon Centers. This annual evaluation, the first of three, documents the beginning steps of each of the Beacon centers to meet facility, programming and participation level standards and utilized a variety of assessment tools and activities to collect data to

Public/Private Ventures, March 2004 Executive Summary Full Report This evaluation of a citywide effort to create a specific type of after-school program, the San Francisco Beacon Initiative, begins to address the gaps in past after-school evaluations. This report addresses the following questions: How did the Beacon centers foster high-quality activity and participation among young people? If young people participate in

Stanford University School of Education, July 2003 Executive Summary Full Report The Youth Voices study aimed to learn from young people participating in five San Francisco Beacon Centers how they felt about their involvement in the program, because youth are often the best reporters and advisors on whether and how an environment feels welcoming, safe, supportive and fun. Research was