Data Gathering and Evaluation Techniques for the International Center of New York

The International Center of New York (ICNY) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching English as a second language and New York culture to immigrants, refugees, and other newcomers. The Capstone team was brought in to achieve four objectives: 1) evaluate and redesign ICNY’s current evaluation tools to help quantify the organization’s impact; 2) research the evaluation methods of peer organizations and identify alternative evaluation techniques; 3) make recommendations regarding additional tools to measure ICNY’s programming; 4) design and pilot a client survey focusing on impacts. To achieve these goals, the team: observed classes; conducted interviews with staff, board members and clients; researched, designed and pilot-tested tools; and designed an implementation plan for the tools. The final report includes all research, tools, instructions for implementation, and recommendations to help ICNY collect data that will measure the organization’s success in fulfilling its mission.