Evaluation

NDI-NM’s culture of assessment and evaluation ensures that programs and instructors have a positive impact on children. NDI-NM contracts with RMC Research Corporation to conduct rigorous independent evaluation of our programs. Using surveys and interviews, data collected over multiple years from students, classroom teachers and principals reveals NDI-NM’s significant impact.

In-School Program Success
Analysis of data from students participating in NDI-NM programs held during the school day revealed significantly higher positive health and behavioral impacts on NDI-NM students than comparison students in the areas of:
 

• Physical fitness
• Dance attitudes and skills
• Confidence
• Tenacity
• Excellence/doing one’s best
• Working hard
• Goal setting

Advanced Training Program Success
Advanced Training students’ ratings on all measures increased significantly over time. Significant gains include:

• Working hard
• Self-confidence
• Excellence
• Tenacity

NDI-NM Advanced Training students also have higher math and reading scores than their peers.

74%Teachers Notice a Difference

Classroom teachers and administrators notice significant improvements in their students’ physical health and fitness. They also notice key improvements in the following student behaviors:

• Ability to set goals for themselves
• Confidence and efficacy, developing a sense that they can achieve what they set out to do
• Positive risk taking in terms of accepting tough challenges and meeting them
• Desire to work hard and exert more effort to achieve a goal
• Engagement in school

The majority of classroom teachers also say that: 

• NDI-NM complements academic goals in mathematics, language arts and social studies
• NDI-NM has positive impacts on school climate
• NDI-NM has a positive impact on teachers’ relationships with students
• NDI-NM builds teamwork and helps children develop social skills
• NDI-NM helps children lead a healthy lifestyle

New Mexico has high poverty and childhood obesity rates, severe academic gaps and limited access to arts education. These factors limit children’s opportunities to develop into successful leaders. NDI-NM’s programs provide students with the skills to move through obstacles and gain the confidence, physical fitness, tenacity and hard work ethic that are necessary to succeed in life.

“NDI-NM provides a framework for linking health, education and the benefits of an active and healthy lifestyle.”

— Dr. John Moore,
Former Coordinated School Health Program Manager,
New Mexico Public Education Department

In 2004, NDI-NM was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Carole M. White Physical Education Program (PEP). PEP provides grants to organizations, such as NDI-NM, to initiate, expand, and improve physical education programs for K-12 students in order to help them make progress toward meeting state standards for physical education.

NDI-NM contracted with Dr. David Wittenburg at the University of New Mexico and, in 2006, with RMC Research to evaluate student fitness and outcomes related to the New Mexico State Physical Education Standards. The evaluators measured student fitness and behaviors and dispositions regarding physical fitness and changes over time.

Several tools were utilized including classroom observation, a survey that assessed students’ attitudes and abilities regarding fitness and exercise, and standardized fitness tests. Approximately 1,372 NDI-NM and 302 comparison students participated in the testing.

Results

In most cases, NDI-NM students outperformed comparison students.

• NDI-NM students’ endurance and strength improved to a statistically significantly greater extent than comparison students.
• NDI-NM students had statistically higher ratings than comparison students on survey items measuring fitness-related knowledge and ability and attitudes toward fitness.
• Locomotor skills of NDI-NM students were significantly superior to comparison students.
• NDI-NM students tested much higher than the comparison students on the endurance test: 66.5% showed healthy endurance compared to 40.9% of the comparison group.
• NDI NM students improved from the pre-test at 34% demonstrating healthy upper body strength to a post-test score of 37%. The comparison group showed no improvement over the course of the year.
• At the start of the year, only 46% of NDI-NM students showed healthy flexibility. By the end of the year, 56.2% demonstrated healthy flexibility. Only 50% of the comparison group demonstrated healthy flexibility at the end of the year.
• 97% of NDI-NM students showed an improvement in demonstrating concepts of space and relationships.
• The percentage of students who prefer to be active than watch TV or play on the computer increased to 91.5% after having NDI-NM programming.
• At the end of the NDI-NM program, the average number of days that students engaged in vigorous activity per week increased from 4.8 to 5.07 at the end of the year. NDI-NM students reported that 90% were participating in vigorous activity three or more days per week, placing them in the Optimal, Good or Excellent category.

For more information, please contact NDI-NM’s Grants & Projects Manager at (505) 983-7646 x 124.