The impact of lacrosse: a preliminary analysis of the effects of a youth-serving nonprofit

Harlem Lacrosse and Leadership (HLL) partners with middle schools to provide academic intervention, leadership training, high school admissions counseling, and lacrosse to at-risk youth. Founded in 2008, HLL has expanded from one to four middle schools, while achieving GPA increases for participating students. HLL engaged the services of a Capstone team to review current evaluation practices of similar programs, gather input from key stakeholders, and recommend improved methods for measuring effectiveness. The team interviewed peer organizations to gain insight on metrics utilized for measuring impact. Simultaneously, the team reviewed HLL performance measurement practices and Title I data availability for benchmarking. Through interviews with students, staff, alumni, and parents from several HLL schools, the team gathered information on HLL’s impact. The final report included a synthesis of interview findings, suggested impact measures, and recommendations for evaluating impact moving forward.