In 2010, the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation worked with Keswick Advisors to perform an independent evaluation of the national Badges for Baseball program. Keswick Advisors was founded by Dr. Jeffrey L. Sedgwick, former professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Assistant Attorney General of the United States. Dr. Sedgwick evaluated changes in the behavior of youth who participate in the Badges for Baseball program. Both quantitative and qualitative data on participant behaviors were collected from parents, teachers, mentors, and law enforcement officers in a comprehensive effort to monitor and assess program effectiveness in encouraging academic involvement, positive peer group associations, and avoidance of substance abuse.
A random stratified sampling of all Badges for Baseball program sites was conducted, and 20% of the sites were chosen to participate in the evaluation process. We trained staff members on evaluation implementation at each of the selected 24 sites to ensure data integrity and retain program participation.
The results speak for themselves:
The Foundation will work with the identified high performing, as well as the low performing partners, to determine the best practices for future program implementation. The goal is to share these best practices and lessons learned with all Badges for Baseball partners for successful implementation and increased positive behavior changes in youth through program participation. The Foundation will continue to evaluate programming each year.
