GREAT was honored to be selected by the Minnesota State Arts Board to be part of a small cohort of organizations participating in a statewide youth development evaluation.

In partnership with Wilder Research, our Musical-in-a-Week residency program was studied to better understand how arts experiences help young people learn, grow, and thrive.

The findings confirmed what we’ve long believed: theatre doesn’t just create performers––it builds confident, capable young people.

KEY FINDINGS:

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Methods Used:

Youth survey. The youth survey included questions about students’ overall experience in the program as well as retrospective pre-post questions to assess changes. Classroom teachers administered the survey to students as a confidential web survey in the weeks following the residency. Survey questions closely align with the outcomes outlined above. Out of a total of 684 students that participated in the program this year, 223 completed the survey for a response rate of 33%. Please note that a small portion of students (~20) were part of a 6th grade afterschool program that completed the program curriculum in two weeks after school, instead of one week during the school day.

Teacher interviews. The teacher interviews were conducted by Wilder Research staff in the weeks following each residency, focusing on perceived impacts to classrooms, individual students, and the school as a whole. The interviews focused on the most recent residency, as well as teachers’ experience with previous residencies if they had been present for more than one programming year. Four teachers completed the interview, out of a total of 32 teachers that were invited.

Sticker voting activity. This is a brief, participatory method used to gather data from students in other grades who attended the final performance. The goal was to understand how the residency impacts students and the host school at a broader level, such as helping to cultivate a community of arts and theater engagement. GREAT staff and volunteers visited a select classrooms at each school following the final performance to guide students in the activity. A total of 403 students voted in the activity.

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Independent Research. Lasting Impact.

Thanks to donors like you, students are building skills that extend far beyond the stage.