Strengthening Evaluation and Relationship Capacities for WNET's American Graduate Day

WNET, the New York area’s flagship public broadcasting station, hosts American Graduate Day, an annual seven-hour broadcast that uses story telling and panel-style dialogue to raise awareness of the national High School dropout crisis in America and amplify compelling solutions to address the issue. American Graduate Day, the broadcast is part of a larger program funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), American Graduate: Let’s Make it Happen. The Capstone team's final report reflects a desire on the part of WNET to more clearly understand its role within the larger American Graduate Initiative as well as the roles of its broadcast partners including local stations from across the United States, non-profit organizations and American Graduate Day Champions—individuals who respond to WNET’s call to action. By conducting sense-making meetings and interviews with WNET staff, creating and analyzing surveys sent to partners and conducting reviews of relevant literature, the Columbia University WNET Capstone team has been able to gather data on the various perceptions of American Graduate Day held by the broadcast partners. The Capstone team helped WNET understand the shared vision and goals held by all broadcast partners as well as the organizational and logistical limitations inhibiting WNET’s ability to meet ideal program models. Further, the Capstone team provided the foundation for an evaluation framework for WNET to utilize as they seek to measure their impact and grow the broadcast in the future.