2022 – 2023 Program Evaluation

2022 - 2023
Program Evaluation
Compiled from the 2023 report by
Lead Researcher, Kathryn Stevenson

CONTENTS
What we measured and why
Summary of what we found
What this means for schools
Detailed results
About the sample
About the Muddy Sneakers experience
Connection to nature and local spaces
Science Learning
Social Emotional Learning
Supporting Teachers
Variations across student groups
2
3
3
4
4
5
6
8
9
11
12
1

What we measured and why
Nature exposure in many forms can support
the learner and create a context that boosts
learning outcomes related to academics,
personal development and stewardship
(Kuo et al., 2019). These outcomes align
closely with the Muddy Sneakers Outdoor
Classroom mission and program design.
Muddy Sneakers programs focus on nature
exposure with the aim of supporting science
learning, as well as the social-emotional
support of students and connection to local
natural landscapes. Our student evaluation
is distributed to teachers twice a year and to
students once at the end of our program.
Outcomes Evaluated in This Report Include:
connection to nature
science learning
social-emotional
learning
teacher support
The Equigenic Effect
Did you know that, on average, students achieve similar outcomes in nature-based vs.
classroom-based learning environments and, in some instances, further support students who
often struggle in a traditional classroom? We have found this in the past with Muddy Sneakers –
the program seemed to support student attention and behavior, but especially for students with
Individual Education Plans (IEPs) (Szczytko et al., 2018).
2

Summary of what we found
Student Outcomes
Students reported significant positive gains
in each outcome of interest:
SCIENCE LEARNING
enthusiasm about the program
memorable experiences tied to science
standards
CONNECTION TO NATURE
going somewhere new
wanting to return to sites visited
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING
meeting new classmates
learning social skills
trying new things
feeling safe and having fun
feeling calmer and healthier
feeling focused and learning better
being more likely to attend school
Teacher Outcomes
Teachers were similarly enthusiastic about
the program and instructors and felt the
program did a good job supporting their
teaching of science standards.
Teachers reported that Muddy Sneakers:
helped make students excited to come
to school
supported those who struggle in the
classroom
built critical thinking skills
supported emotional well-being and
peer relationships
They said Muddy Sneakers helped them:
teach science more effectively
connect with students
explore outdoor spaces
What this means for schools
Muddy Sneakers directly supports standards-aligned science learning while supporting critical
thinking and social-emotional learning. Also a direct impact of our mission and approach to
learning, Muddy Sneakers supports a connection to nature, including exposing and building
appreciation for local natural areas within their communities.
Both teachers and students enjoy the program, and evaluation results suggest they benefit from
it. With additional support in the classroom, schools may experience increased teacher
retention rates and reduced burnout. Students and teachers reported gains in social-emotional
learning, including peer-to-peer relationships and connecting with their teachers, which may
improve student behavior and classroom performance.
3

Results
2022 – 2023 Muddy Sneakers Fast Facts
49
schools
294
field expeditions
3,074
students
98
virtual programs
137
teachers
87,414
contact hours
Responses from 41 schools are included in these results:
DISTRICT
STUDENT
RESPONSES
TEACHER
RESPONSES
Asheville City 47 0
Buncombe County 71 2
Guilford County 10 1
Haywood County 104 5
Henderson County 246 3
Jackson County 24 1
Madison County 0 0
Montgomery County 0 0
Orange County 12 1
Polk County 139 3
Rowan County 408 10
Rutherford County 9 1
Transylvania County 95 3
Wake County 0 0
Watauga County 41 2
Winston-Salem Forsyth County 169 5
TOTALS 1375 37
Self-reported gender
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Boys
Girls
No Answer
Non-Binary
Self-reported race
Asian
Black/African American
Hispanic
Mixed Race
Native American
White
No Answer
4

About the Muddy Sneakers Experience
Overall, students enjoyed the Muddy
Sneakers experience and felt it positively
changed them.
Students most frequently mentioned
valuing learning and having fun with
Muddy Sneakers.
Similarly, teachers were happy with the
program.
75%
of teachers reported an
“excellent” rating for
safety, learning and fun.
89%
of students agreed that
they enjoyed their time
with Muddy Sneakers
Which parts of the partnership did you use with students
this year?
In-Person Expeditions
Skype a Sneaker Virtual Sessions
EOG Test Prep
Classroom Curriculum Materials
Instructor Visits for School Events
On-Call Support
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
5

Connection to nature and local spaces
Connection to Nature
Overall, Muddy Sneakers is taking students
to new places, while also helping students
see familiar natural areas in new ways,
and/or making them want to return again.
Students discussed the value they learned
to place in nature and protecting nature.
This supports the quantitative results and
demonstrates that Muddy Sneakers
provides opportunities for students to
connect with nature, especially their local
environments.
I wonder how nature works...
30%
20%
10%
0%
Every Day
Before Muddy Sneakers
A er Muddy Sneakers
Once a Week
Once a Month
Never
AFTER MUDDY SNEAKERS
71%
of students reported a
connection to nature,
reflecting an overall increase
An Increased Sense of Wonder and Inquiry
AFTER MUDDY SNEAKERS
67%
of students wondered
how nature works at
least once a week
THIS INCLUDES
32%
who wondered how
nature works daily
6

Rather spend time on technology than outside
Before Muddy Sneakers, nearly 30% of
students would always rather spend time on
technology than outside. After Muddy
Sneakers, that number shrunk to around
20%
Student quote about their favorite part:
“Making me go outside a bit more
instead of being stuck inside doing
random things, Muddy Sneakers really
shows that there’s more fun to be had
than on a phone!”
60%
40%
20%
0%
Always
Before Muddy Sneakers
A er Muddy Sneakers
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
While students were still interested in
spending time on technology, they
reported wanting to do so less often after
Muddy Sneakers in comparison to before.
How many times did Muddy Sneakers take you to
someplace new?
Every time
About half the time
Once
Never, but I saw new parts of places I had visited before
Never
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
81%
of students said Muddy
Sneakers took them
someplace new at least half of
the time
THIS INCLUDES
39%
of students who are
exposed to a new place
every time
7

Science Learning
Students showed gains in understanding of science appreciation as well as confidence in
science.
Science Confidence
Science Affinity
70%
Before Muddy Sneakers
A er Muddy Sneakers
70%
Before Muddy Sneakers
A er Muddy Sneakers
60%
60%
50%
50%
40%
40%
30%
30%
20%
20%
10%
10%
0%
0%
Teachers and students also felt Muddy Sneakers supported science learning and achievement.
Many [students] wrote that they valued learning about nature and science, or detailed specific
concepts, ideas, or practices they learned that were memorable or valuable.
82%
of students agreed, “Muddy
Sneakers made me
understand science better.”
Some students mentioned that learning
science with Muddy Sneakers helped
prepare them for the EOGs.
97%
of teachers also report Muddy
Sneakers supports students’
understanding of science
85% of teachers think Muddy Sneakers
supports higher science test scores; 45%
think it may support non-science test scores.
8

Social and Emotional Learning
Critical Thinking
Students reported gains in critical thinking
skills, including being open to new ideas
and seeking out multiple sources of
information.
80%
Before Muddy Sneakers
A er Muddy Sneakers
60%
40%
20%
0%
Students reported that Muddy Sneakers made them...
feel more calm
want to share what we learned with my family and friends
more likely to come to school
feel healthier
focus and learn better
talk to classmates I usually don't talk to at school
Yes
No
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Some students mentioned that the most important thing about Muddy Sneakers was that they
felt safe, learned how to be safe or were more confident in an outdoor environment.
9

Teachers Agreed with Students and Added that Muddy
Sneakers...
76%
helps students improve their
emotional wellbeing.
84%
supports students who often struggle in the
classroom.
82%
increases classroom participation and
engagement.
87%
helps students build relationships with peers
they may not connect with in the classroom.
89%
builds critical thinking skills.
58%
helps students be more calm & patient. 82%
makes students more excited to come to
school.
74%
helps students focus and learn
better in the classroom.
10

Supporting Teachers
As Muddy Sneakers is a partnership with schools, we asked about the degree to which this
partnership benefited teachers. Teachers reported many positive outcomes, including teaching
science more effectively, connecting with students, feeling supportive, and wanting to explore
more places outside in their personal time.
Teachers indicated that Muddy Sneakers made them...
Disagree Neutral Agree
Strongly Agree
Teach science more effectively
Connect with my students
Personally explore outdoor spaces
Feel supported as a teacher
Teach more effectively overall
Connect with my coworkers
Feel calmer and more relaxed
Manage student behavior
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Overall, Muddy Sneakers fosters the idea that learning takes place
all the time in all areas. I love it when they say, “I learned so much”
about a topic they’ve already been taught. Muddy Sneakers is the
extension of what they’ve been taught and very importantly offers
more examples of real life application and connections.
11

Variations across student groups
Our industry as a whole is seeking ways to create more accessible and equitable programs. In
the absence of access to school or adult-supplied information, students were asked to write-in a
self-reported gender and race. A significant percentage of students did not supply an answer (or
gave a nonsensical answer) for gender.
Connection to Nature
Differential changes in connection to nature
were modest across genders and, to a lesser
degree, race. Note that change was similar
across these demographics, but for several
cases, there were differences in entry (and
associated exit) points. These likely point to
influences beyond Muddy Sneakers’ control
but highlight opportunities for future care
and potential programmatic focus.
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Before Muddy Sneakers
A er Muddy Sneakers
Boys Girls Other
Before Muddy Sneakers
A er Muddy Sneakers
Asian
Black/African American
Hispanic
Mixed Race
Native American
White
No Answer
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Science Learning
Like connection to nature, the changes in science confidence were similar across the board, but
the entry points differed with gender. In terms of race, trends were similar across races, with
none of the differences seen as significant.
12

Science Confidence
Encouraging trends show the biggest gains
among those students who enter with the
least amount of science confidence,
echoing growing evidence for an equigenic
effect of nature-based programming (Faber
Taylor et al., 2022).
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Before Muddy Sneakers
A er Muddy Sneakers
Boys Girls Other
Asian
Black/African American
Hispanic
Mixed Race
Native American
White
No Answer
Before Muddy Sneakers
A er Muddy Sneakers
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Science Affinity
Variations across science affinity were also
similar across race and gender, with no
significant differences present when
comparing pre- or post-responses across
these groups of students.
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Before Muddy Sneakers
A er Muddy Sneakers
Boys Girls Other
Asian
Black/African American
Hispanic
Mixed Race
Native American
White
No Answer
Before Muddy Sneakers
A er Muddy Sneakers
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
13

OUR MISSION
The mission of Muddy Sneakers is to awaken in children a deeply
felt connection with the natural world — one that inspires curiosity,
stimulates learning, and brings new life to classroom performance.
Muddy Sneakers, Inc. is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax identification number 26-0338084)
under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

828-862-5560
info@muddysneakers.org
PO Box 146, Brevard, NC 28712
www.muddysneakers.org