The Queens Public Library (QPL) is one of the largest public libraries in the US and serves the most diverse borough in New York City. QPL strives to create a more vibrant, informed, cohesive, and empowered society by focusing on the values of inclusion, access, integrity, and respect. QPL engaged a Capstone team to strengthen its assessment of its summer reading program. The team conducted a broad analysis of literacy programs at other libraries and educational institutions, including summer reading programs for school-aged children. The team’s final deliverables include a logic model and a preliminary assessment model, as well as next steps for implementing a full assessment of QPL’s summer reading program.

The Action Lab is a young organization that fosters interdisciplinary and cross-movement spaces for learning, gathering, and reflection. Its four anchor initiatives aim to find shared strategies for action, help change-makers build and sharpen social justice skills, understand how arts and culture drive social change, and create resilient healing spaces. The Action Lab engaged a team to further its goal of reconceptualizing relationships to social justice organizing and transformational spaces. Working to shape and actualize the modalities of each initiative, the team built out four resource lists, dialogued with senior program staff, and provided practitioner and speaker suggestions for the lab’s programs. The team’s deliverables to the client included a bibliography of sources and accompanying reflections, a presentation with speaker recommendations, and logistical assistance with future programming.

Day One is a nonprofit organization that partners with youth to end dating abuse and intimate partner violence (IPV) through an empowerment model of community education, supportive services, legal advocacy, and leadership development. Day One’s clients are impacted by various issues beyond IPV, including the school-to-prison pipeline, lack of reproductive care, and housing insecurity. However, Day One has limited capacity to engage in advocacy efforts related to these areas. The client enlisted the team to identify best practices for setting policy and advocacy priorities and deepening staff and youth involvement in these processes. The team conducted legislative research, identified potential allies in elected office, surveyed staff and youth clients, and conducted employee focus groups. Based on its research findings, the team developed a final report recommending policy priorities, internal and external advocacy strategies, and best practices for engaging staff and youth.

CholPori is a web-based, self-driven learning application that enables students in Bangladesh to enhance their literary learning both inside and outside the classroom. An estimated two-thirds of students in Bangladesh are currently reading below grade level literacy standards. In order to assess their application, which began its launch in January 2022, CholPori enlisted a Capstone team to create a product testing plan and data collection strategy. The team conducted a context and market analysis, using its results to develop a Classroom Implementation Assessment Tool and a post-launch usability survey. The data collected through the assessment tool and survey was designed to evaluate impact and inform CholPori’s strategy. With evidence-based research and analysis, the team has helped lay the groundwork for CholiPori’s expansion into the Bangladeshi educational technology market.