Genesys Works Bay Area Final Evaluation Report

Genesys Works is a national program that provides professional job skills training and internships to low-income high school students. In 2012, Genesys Works received funding to expand its program to the San Francisco Bay Area, with a goal of enrolling 700 participants during a five-year period.

Study Goals:

The evaluation includes three components:

• An implementation study to examine fidelity to the program model
• An outcome study to measure changes in participants’ professional skills and educational/career goals
• An impact study to assess the program’s effect on high school graduation rates, as well as college enrollment and persistence

Research Questions:

The evaluation included implementation, outcome, and impact questions. The research questions were:

• Implementation Questions:
  • Did Genesys Works Bay Area (GWBA) implement the program with fidelity to the program model and goals? What changes were made and why?
  • What challenges did the program face in implementing the program and how were they addressed?
  • Was the program able to reach the intended target population? Did it meet enrollment and retention goals?
  • Were participants and corporate partners satisfied with the program?
• Outcome Questions:
  • During the study period, what changes occurred among participants in terms of skill development, college and career aspirations, preparation for post-secondary enrollment, and resources and networks necessary to achieve goals?
  • Was the direction of the changes in these outcomes in line with the theory of change?
• Impact Questions:
  • Did participants have higher high school graduation rates, college enrollment rates, and college persistence rates than the matched sample of non-participating individuals?

Findings:

The evaluation found the following:

• Seventy-eight percent of participants completed the summer program against a goal of 80 percent retention.
• Ninety-three percent of remaining participants completed the internship against a goal of 90 percent retention.
• The biggest changes between baseline and follow-up were participants’ confidence speaking in public and self-advocacy in the classroom.
• Students reported grater knowledge about college systems and navigating the application process and financial aid requirements.
• Ninety-nine percent of the GWBA students in the sample graduated from high school, compared to 84 percent of the comparison students.

For more information, download the full report and report brief.