Research & Evaluation
All Stars Project partnered with Southern Methodist University’s Center on Research and Evaluation (CORE) on a five-year project to measure young peoples’ development in our Development School for Youth. All Stars has long known that development and its positive impact can play an important role in the life success of young people exposed to it. We embarked on the study to define development and determine how to measure it through ASP programs, while evaluating the effectiveness of our work to develop young people.
This study provides tangible, transparent evidence of what we mean by “All Stars Project develops youth” and the eight dimensions of development it identified at the heart of our model. These strengths and capabilities — by themselves or taken together — empower young people to be successful in educational, workplace, and “life” situations and to fully participate in every aspect of society.:
Appreciation, Giving and Interpersonal Competence: Relating to others through building relationships with, interacting with, and learning from people who are different from you
Personal Responsibility and Vocational Competence: Navigating Professional Settings by growing professional skills of presentation, interaction, and curiosity through
Confidence, Improvisation, and Open Worldview: Engaging with the World (i.e., navigating the world as you pursue your goals and dreams)
Countless times, current and past participants from the Development School for Youth have said of the experience, “This changed my life!” or “I was able to get to where I am today because of things I learned in DSY…” The groundbreaking study is evidenced-based proof that development is valuable. Not only does it confirm that young people grow in statistically significant ways as a result of development, it establishes a new evaluation tool that advances understanding about what development looks like and how it can be deliberately fostered and cultivated.
We invite you to learn more about the project, including its methods and results, through the links below.