While the monies raised (over $8 million), grants issued (16,100) and service hours committed (over 33 million) are measures of the Penny Harvest’s success, the program’s impact on the hundreds of thousands of children nationally who participate is also a critical outcome. 

 

The Penny Harvest provides benefits to three distinct groups: children / students, schools and local communities. Here are examples of the outcomes for each group: 

 

Students

• Increased academic engagement and effort
• Increased self worth
• Sense of empowerment
• Awareness of the power of working together
• Compassion
• Connections to their communities at large/Expanded world view
• Communication skills
• Leadership skills
• Negotiation skills
• Teamwork & Cooperation skills
• Research and problem solving skills that are generalized to other study areas and life in general

 

Schools

• Stronger school community among students and staff
• Connecting the school to the community at large
• School pride
• Increased attendance
• Cross age relationships and mentoring opportunities
• Strong connection from school to school within a district
• Students skills gained from the Penny Harvest are generalized to other areas which benefit the school overall

 

Community

• Connection to students and a potential shift in perceptions of students and schools
• Connecting schools to the community and vice versa
• Democracy built from the ground up
• Broadening the base of philanthropy and understanding within a community
• Future generations of active citizens and leaders
• Support for local charities and people in need today. Since 2008, central Ohio students have raised and donated nearly $70,000, awarded 108 financial or community service grants to supporting more than 80 area charities. The students have helped to address a wide range of basic and critical needs in our community including:
  Homelessness                     Helping the sick      Hunger                      Medical Research
  Neighborhood Safety       Literacy                      Poverty                      People w/ Disabilities   Animal Shelters                  Child Abuse              Senior Services      Domestic Violence        After School Programs     Environment            Gang Violence        And many others.....  

Evidence of Student Outcomes 
Over its 17 year history, the program has been examined by several social scientists including Dr. Christopher Weiss from the Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences Program (QMSS) Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy (ISERP) Columbia University. Dr. Weiss has partnered with Common Cents in New York to develop an assessment tool to demonstrate student outcomes.  Dr. Weiss and his assistant will be working directly with See Kids Dream to establish baseline measurements with Columbus students who participate in the 2008 -2009 pilot program. They will conduct initial interviews in the fall and follow-up measurement at the end of the school year.  Highlights of some of the measures evaluated by Dr. Weiss in his previous work with Common Cents and their impact on students are demonstrated in the tables below.

 

All Student Outcomes: Feedback from Teachers	% Who Agree	N
Increases students' belief that they can make a difference.	97.2%	964
Have an increased interest and effort in their school work	81.1%	964
Believe that they can do more through working together than by themselves.	95.5%	964
Students become more likely to be involved in another community or civic activity.	89.0%	964
Changes I saw in students who PH last year did not continue into this year.	6.1%	964
Have greater empathy for the needs of others than other students.	8.3%	964
Increases students' willingness to help others.	96.1%	964
Develop more responsibility to school, peers, adults and the community.	91.9%	964
Student Leader Outcomes: Feedback from Coaches	% Who Agree	N
Increases students' belief that they can make a difference.	100.0%	364
Have an increased interest and effort in their school work	93.4%	315
Believe that they can do more through working together than by themselves.	99.5%	356
Students become more likely to be involved in another community or civic activity.	99.1%	343
Changes I saw in students who PH last year did not continue into this year.	9.1%	197
Have greater empathy for the needs of others than other students.	13.5%	325
Increases students' willingness to help others.	98.3%	355
Develop more responsibility to school, peers, adults and the community.	98.0%	349

 

 

*National: Roundtable and Service ourcomes 2007-2008, Common Cents Database Report