Project SPIRIT Evaluation Report : 1987-1988 / Harriette P. McAdoo and Vanella A. Crawford.

The 1987-1988 Project SPIRIT programs were evaluated for effectiveness from the points of view of the participants, both parents and children. An initiative of the Congress of National Black Churches that was begun in the summer of 1986, Project SPIRIT aims to nurture children's strength, perseverance, imagination, responsibility, integrity, and talent through after-school tutoring and living skills enhancement, parent education, and pastoral counseling training. Assessments of 253 5- to 7-year-olds in Indianapolis, Atlanta, and Oakland were made, and pilot data from parents in Oakland were collected. Evaluation findings indicate that parents: (1) perceived an improvement in children's behavior; (2) felt that the program components their children most liked concerned Black history and the positive contributions of the Black race; (3) averaged less than a high school education but expected higher achievement from their children; and (4) exhibited unusually high levels of stress. The majority of parents were members of Baptist churches, though attendance was irregular. The vast majority of the children attended Sunday School. Black children maintained positive feelings about themselves throughout the year. Children accurately identified themselves by race. Recommendations for program improvement are offered, and tables of data are appended. (RH)

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