Evaluating a Partnership between Brooklyn Botanic Garden and a Neighboring High School
Client: Brooklyn Botanic Garden | Location: Brooklyn, NY | Funding: Institute of Museum and Library and Services
We evaluated the impact of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment partnership, which aims to deepen high school students’ engagement with science, nature, and environmental stewardship.
OVERVIEW
Over the course of three years, we evaluated the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) and Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment (BASE) partnership’s impact on students’ feelings about nature exploration, scientific inquiry, and environmental stewardship. The goal of the evaluation was to understand what elements of the program worked best and which were in need of change to help BBG make decisions about program improvement and/or growth.
APPROACH
To understand changes over time as the partnership and programs evolved, we developed questionnaires to be administered to students, families, and teachers once a year for three years. We also conducted telephone interviews with BASE teachers and the principal. Data collection efforts involved:
Questionnaires administered by BASE teachers in fall and spring semesters of each school year
Family questionnaires administered yearly to parents/guardians of BASE students
Telephone interviews with BASE science teachers and the principal in spring semester
Questionnaire administered to all BASE teachers in spring semester
CLIENT TAKEAWAYS
We found that BBG is a popular and valuable resource for students and families to engage with science and the environment, particularly in an urban setting where connecting with nature can be a challenge. For example, 50 percent of students participated in at least one BBG-BASE activity related to nature or conservation during the school year, and students demonstrated a stronger understanding of ecosystems after completing the Field Studies course developed through the BBG-BASE partnership.
We also identified opportunities to further strengthen its relationships with stakeholders, including offering guidance (e.g., mentoring or professional development) to non-science teachers on how to fully utilize BBG resources in their classrooms.
