Partnership Evaluation: Brooklyn Botanic Garden-Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) and Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment (BASE) contracted RK&A to conduct an evaluation of their partnership’s progress and outcomes over three years. The goal of the summative evaluation is to explore students, families, and teachers’ perceptions of and relationship to BBG and the BBG-BASE partnership.  The evaluation also explored attitudes and understandings of how to engage in nature exploration, scientific inquiry, and environmental stewardship in a meaningful way.

How did we approach this study?

RK&A developed questionnaires to be administered each audience (students, families, and teachers) and conducted telephone interviews with BASE teachers and the principal.  To understand changes over time as the partnership and programs evolved, student questionnaires were administered in fall and spring semesters each school year from 2017 to 2019.  Family questionnaires were administered once a year from 2017 to 2019. RK&A conducted telephone interviews with BASE science teachers and the principal in the spring from 2017 to 2019.  To expand feedback beyond just science teachers, a questionnaire was administered to all BASE teachers in spring 2019.

What did we learn?

Evaluation results demonstrate that BBG is a valuable resource for students and families to engage with science and the environment, particularly important in an urban setting where connecting with nature can be a challenge. For example, questionnaire data indicates 50 percent of students participated in at least one BBG-BASE activity related to nature or conservation during the school year.  While the BBG-BASE partnership is quite strong, there are opportunities to further strengthen its relationships with students, families, and teachers—for example, helping non-science teachers better understand how to embrace the resources BBG can offer in their classrooms.