In response to the financial crisis of 2007-2008, the Obama administration signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to stimulate job creation and jumpstart the economy. Under the Recovery Act, Race to the Top (RTT) was the largest federal competitive grant program focused on education. It aimed to improve school standards, increase the effectiveness of teachers and staff, promote failing schools, and identify better methods for tracking student and teacher progress. The team conducted research to estimate the causal effects of RTT on reading and math scores by comparing students in states that were awarded the RTT grant and students in states that were not. The team detailed its findings in a final report that may be used to inform the design and implementation of current and future competitive grant programs amid the ongoing debate over school finance.

Founded in 2010, The Children’s Arts Guild is a New York-based nonprofit organization that partners with parents, educators, and students to build supportive and creative learning spaces where children in grades K-12 can become socially engaged, emotionally intelligent, and productive citizens of the world. The organization enlisted a team to provide recommendations as its Authenticity in the Classroom program undergoes a period of strategic growth and endeavors to enter new domestic markets in 2022. The team completed case studies of potential school partnerships, conducted interviews with teachers, and attended an Authenticity in the Classroom day-long session. The team then produced a presentation and a final report that included a research tool for the client to use and recommendations on marketing and market entry and expansion.

Land to Learn is a nonprofit organization dedicated to growing food justice and community wellness through education. Its SproutEd Program brings garden education to students in grades K-2 in the Newburgh, Beacon, Kingston, and Garrison areas of New York State. Lacking easy-to-use and adaptable assessment tools to measure the program’s impact, Land to Learn engaged a team to construct effective and efficient impact assessment tools for its limited staff to use and sustain over time. To gather data in support of the organization’s short- and long-term goals, the team conducted educator interviews, researched case studies and best practices in garden education, and piloted tools with participating school districts. The team created a final report that includes a case study analysis, literature review, logic model, and recommendations for usable impact assessment tools that meet the organization’s needs.

The Partnership to End Addiction provides services to families impacted by substance use and addiction through its helpline, educational resources, and toolkit of training sessions. With the help of a Capstone team, the organization sought to deliver fee-based substance use programs for parents and caregivers through schools. The team conducted a needs assessment to identify potential barriers to successful implementation and a competitor analysis of the landscape of existing substance use and prevention programs. The team worked with the client to develop strategies for financial sustainability through mixed revenue sources, program implementation, toolkit marketing, and increased accessibility. The team also provided a framework to measure program success and effectiveness.