EmpowerHub - Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis

The Issue

Being a middle school girl is tough. As she is growing and discovering what it means to be her unique self, she also battles countless academic and social pressures. These challenges are intensified for young girls at a higher risk of negative academic and social outcomes. In addition to the typical hardships faced by a middle school girl, this girl faces an even more complex web of difficulties stemming from stressful childhood experiences. Many young girls struggle with the trauma of abuse, family fragmentation, school failure, untreated health problems, or a combination of these issues. And, these experiences can significantly impact psychological and social growth, causing developmental delays (Hawkins et al., 2009; Acoca, 1999). Such delays can then manifest themselves in poor behavior and academic performance.

In Indianapolis, girls are facing these struggles. 75 percent of participants in Girls, Inc. programming in Indianapolis lived in distressed or at-risk communities, which are defined as areas with higher rates of poverty, unemployment, and a lower number of adults with a high school diploma. 1 of 5 girls in Indianapolis live in poverty, 1 in 7 will not finish high school on time, and 53% of girls continue to report being unhappy with their bodies (Girls Inc. National, 2018).

This has a significant impact on educational outcomes. Only 10% of students in grades 3 through 8 passed both the math and English sections of Indiana’s standardized tests in 2021. And these results are stronger for disadvantaged students: Black students had the lowest 2022 pass rates for ILEARN at 19% in English and 14% in math. White students, meanwhile, had a 48% proficiency in English and 47% in math (Indiana Department of Education).

It’s difficult to address these academic challenges without also addressing the specific social and emotional problems faced by girls. That’s what Girls, Inc. of Greater Indianapolis is trying to do. They combine mentoring relationships, a pro-girl environment, and research-based programming to navigate the intersecting gender, economic, and social barriers that girls and young women with historically marginalized identities face.

 

The Intervention

Girls Inc.’s EmpowerHub program inspires girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Their unique program toolkit has three sections rooted in these three characteristics — Strong (health and wellness), Smart (academic readiness), and Bold (civic responsibility and leadership). Trained program coordinators use this toolkit to create an environment that supports, challenges, and encourages girls to achieve and surpass their academic and personal goals.

Operating within the struggling Indianapolis public school system, EmpowerHub addresses middle school girls’ academic underperformance and overall disengagement. Girls Inc. believes that a student’s academic success will be greatly impacted by establishing a sense of belonging and a growth-oriented mindset in these young minds. Yet, these goals can only be achieved through the interplay of supportive people, a nurturing environment, and uplifting programming.

The EmpowerHub programming is delivered to girls in grades K-5 and 6-8 focusing on supporting them in their exploration of healthy lifestyles, academic achievement, life skills development, and STEAM exposure. The curriculum is strategically designed to develop non-cognitive skills alongside cognitive ones to most effectively improve academic outcomes. Non-cognitive skills include behaviors, mindsets, perseverance, learning strategies, and social skills. EmpowerHub operates within the school setting and provides cohorts of 30 students with 35-50 hours of high-impact programming annually. EmpowerHub maintains a 1:15 staff-to-participant ratio to ensure a safe environment with ample mentorship opportunities.

 

Research Question

• What is the impact of EmpowerHub on academic performance in terms of grades, school attendance, homework completion, and disciplinary outcomes?
• How does EmpowerHub influence social outcomes, including self-esteem, belonging, and mental health?​

 

Intended Outcomes

Students who participate in EmpowerHub will demonstrate improved academic performance, increased engagement in healthy behaviors, and a sustained belief in their ability to reach future goals.

Research Study Design

LEO’s evaluation of Girls. Inc’s EmpowerHub is a randomized control trial. The sample will be made up of middle school girls, grades 6-8, in the Indianapolis Public School system. Students will only be eligible for EmpowerHub in Indianapolis if they are entering the sixth grade in the year they enroll in the study, if they identify as a girl, and if they attend one of the seven participating IPS middle schools. Students will stay enrolled in EmpowerHub and the study for three years. After the students are enrolled, researchers will randomly assign the girls into two equal groups, treatment and control, based on their school. The treatment group will receive EmpowerHub programming during non-class hours, while the control group will continue attending their standard in-school programming.

During the study, researchers will track students’ academic performance through their grades, school attendance, homework completion, standardized test scores, and disciplinary outcomes. They will also measure students’ self-esteem, sense of belonging, and mental health through surveys. Researchers will compare these results across both the treatment and the control groups.

 

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