About Us
Impact
America SCORES provides children in urban communities with the highest quality sports-based youth development programming.
Click Here to view Outstanding Poems by our students
We evaluate the outcomes of our soccer, creative writing, and service-learning programs to assess the extent to which they positively affect the health, academic achievement, and positive youth development of our participants.
A recent national evaluation of America SCORES found improvements in these areas:
Education and Literacy:
- Statistically significant gains in writing achievement as demonstrated through pre and post-program writing tests
- Increased reporting of reading enjoyment and independent reading
Health and Fitness:
- Statistically significant lowering of Body Mass Index (BMI), a key indicator both of the risk of obesity and chronic disease later in life
- Increased levels of physical fitness as demonstrated through pre and post-program running tests
Youth Development:
- Increased reporting of feelings of self-confidence, self-efficacy, and enjoyment of learning
- Increased frequency of daytime classroom attendance during the America SCORES season
America SCORES Partners with UCSF, American Heart Association, and NIH to Continue Study of America SCORES Program Impact.
In order to further our understanding of how participation in our programs can positively impact the health and development of young people, America SCORES has partnered with Kristine Madsen, MD MPH of the University of California San Francisco to participate in a randomized control trial of the America SCORES program. This study, funded by the American Heart Association and the National Institutes for Health, is based on the pilot study of America SCORES Bay Area.
Case Study: DC SCORES and Youth Development
Independent research team Symphonic Strategies published a report on our DC affiliate, which showed that America SCORES students in DC experienced statistically significant gains in four categories: school engagement, physical fitness, self-worth, and sense of belonging. In addition, the study showed evidence of a positive relationship between liking and participating in DC SCORES and levels of school engagement, discovering supportive adults, and feeling a sense of community.
Case Study: America SCORES Chicago and Writing Achievement
America SCORES Chicago’s 2009 evaluation results as determined by writing tests indicate that improvements in writing achievement happened in both males and females and across all grade levels.
By gender:
- Males: pre-program average score=15.9; post-program average score=21.1; 33 % improvement
- Females: pre-program average score=22.56; post-program average score= 26.56; 18 % improvement
By grade level:
- 3rd grade: pre-program average score=15.65; post-program average score=20.25; 30 % improvement
- 4th grade: pre-program average score=17.68; post-program average score=24; 36 % improvement
- 5th grade: pre-program average score=22.15; post-program average score=25; 13 % improvement
Case Study: America SCORES Bay Area and Childhood Obesity
In 2009, America SCORES Bay Area was the subject of an independent research study by the University of California San Francisco which determined that America SCORES is effective in reducing obesity rates among children of minority populations. This is an exciting outside endorsement of the effectiveness of our programs, made possible by organizations like the May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust, who support the high program standards maintained by the America SCORES national office.
Michael
Michael joined the America SCORES team at his school in the 4th grade because problems at home were affecting him at school. He wasn’t doing his homework and he was getting into trouble because he couldn’t control his frustration and anger. At one of his first practices, Michael got into a disagreement with a teammate. He started screaming and stormed off the field. The next day, though, he showed up in his coach’s office and asked if he could come back to the team. He agreed to apologize to his teammates and was given rules about how he had to behave in order to stay on the team.
By the end of the year, Michael completely changed his ways. When he was angry, he no longer shouted or threw things; instead, he asked his coach if he could be excused for a minute to cool off. He stayed late to help put equipment away; he did homework while he waited for his coach. His teammates awarded him the “leadership patch” as an outstanding contributor to his team and school. The following year he auditioned for, and was chosen to participate in, the first America SCORES National Poetry Slam!. He has since become a member of the America SCORES leadership team as part of the middle school program in his city.
Craig
It’s really amazing how much I learned from coaching. Not just about soccer, that I knew nothing about when I started, but about being a leader. It almost sounds silly because they are elementary kids and I’m a teacher, should be easy right? That’s what I thought in the beginning. Turned out not to be so easy. Managing personalities, egos, and disappointment (mine and theirs) turned out to be much different than my classroom job, and much harder in some ways. Our kids really need this program, and all of our kids really benefit from it.
Craig, an America SCORES coach, is also a teacher at the Jackson Mann Elementary school in Boston.
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