While we realize that program outcomes are not always measurable, SquashBusters strives to discover and reflect on the impact of our work. Collecting and analyzing data allows staff to see what they are doing well, what needs improvement, and dream up innovative strategies to target areas needing development. Furthermore, it allows us to see how our students respond to our program, how it changes them, and what they gain from it.

SquashBusters maintains a dual vision for its students’ performance. On one hand we assiduously track our students’ achievements in our program components. On the other, we place this performance in a greater context, as we also want to know how they develop as people. We care about our students’ school attendance records and their attitude about school; we are concerned how our students grades and test scores, but we also look for shifts in their thinking toward learning; how our students behave in a squash match or at a community service projects interests us, as does their maturation regarding sportsmanship, competition, and civic involvement.

In an effort to express this dual level of program performance, the Barr Foundation sponsored SquashBusters to develop a logic model in early 2005. Developing the logic model forced us to be explicit about our outcomes and helped us to diagram the short, medium, and long term outcomes we wish for our students to achieve.

SquashBusters students have also gained excellence in all components of the program. Below are some of the accomplishments of our student participants. 

  • 91 total students served during the Fall and Spring programs.
  • Program Attendance Rate – 91% from 6th to 12th grade.
  • School Attendance Rate for all 91 students was better than 90%.
  • Grade-to-Grade Matriculation – 100% of SquashBusters kids are matriculating to the next level of their middle or high school education.
  • 6th Grade MCAS Scores – 70% of our 6th Grade students passed their exams, compared to their peers in Boston Public Schools who passed at a rate of 51%.
  • 7th Grade MCAS Scores – 91% of our 7th Grade students passed their exams, compared to their peers in Boston Public Schools who passed at a rate of 83%.
  • 90% improved fitness for all participants as measured by a timed mile run.
  • Community Service Hours – Each student does 30 hours of community service. That’s 2,730 hours of community service performed per year at locations including: The Greater Boston Food Bank, Rebuilding Boston Together, and Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly.
  • High School Graduation Rate – 100% (3/3) of our high school seniors graduated and went to college.
  • Private School Scholarships – Since 1996, 23 students have earned full-scholarships to private schools including Governor Dummer, Beaver Country Day, Tabor Academy, and Williston-Northampton.
  • Program High School Graduation Rate – 100% of our seniors have graduated from high school since 1996.
  • College Enrollment – 84% of our high school graduates have gone to college.  SquashBusters alumni attend a broad range of schools including Bates College, Brown University, Northeastern University, Simmons College, Smith College, University of Massachusetts, and the University of Pennsylvania.

While we have always measured our students’ performance, the impact of our sustained outcomes which focus on character and values development has remained elusive.  To address this, we created program values which are captured in the acronym I-CARE:  Integrity, Concern for Others, Appreciation, Respect, and Effort.  Working with Brigham Nahas Research Associates (BNRA), we developed tools to measure these final outcomes.  Through a series of meetings with BNRA, we have identified ways to measure the degree to which our students learned the values via squash, community service activities, and general participation in the program.

To measure these values, we distributed surveys to groups that come into contact with out students, including other coaches, community service partners, volunteers and parents.

These groups rated our students as a group, answering questions that have been written with our values in mind.  SquashBusters’ students develop as young people along the five I-CARE values.  When surveyed community service hosts and opposing squash coaches have made the following observations:

  • Integrity – 95% report that our kids handled defeat and victory well;
  • Concern for Others – 95% report that our kids worked well with others;
  • Appreciation – 90% report that our kids showed interest in volunteering again;
  • Respect – 98% report that our kids demonstrated good sportsmanship;
  • Effort – 93% report that our kids worked hard to accomplish their goals;

As the program continues, SquashBusters will continue to measure the impact of the program, and its benefits to our students.  These measures will ensure that the quality of our program remains high, continuing to benefit our students in many aspects of their lives.