Our Mission and History

The mission of Research Works, Inc. (RWI) is to enhance and promote positive change in the public sector through the use of the highest quality research and evaluation. Focusing on the promotion of professional excellence for both individual and organizational performance, RWI will always operate under a strict set of ethical guidelines maintaining the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and confidentiality in all client relationships.

RWI, a private not-for-profit company with offices in Albany and Tarrytown, NY, was founded in 2002 to provide service-oriented evaluation services to the public sector. Headed by Dr. Kathleen Toms since its conception, RWI has led the way in research and evaluation for the public sector. The team at RWI with almost a decade of successful experience providing evaluation services has revolutionized the way the education sector approaches, interprets and uses research.

With ongoing consistency and integrity, RWI has had much success evaluation services, primarily in the area of Pre-K to 12 Education. An example of this consistency is the ongoing work RWI has and is completing for the New York City Department of Education, RWI completed two large three-year evaluations of Title II, Part B and Title II, Part D competitive grant programs for NYCDOE Region 4, beginning in 2004 and ending in June 2007. RWI is presently evaluating five Title II, Part B programs and two Title II, Part D programs for the New York City Department of Education. In addition, RWI is in the final year of a direct federal Teaching American History Elementary-Level grant evaluation, also for NYCDOE. In addition, RWI is in the final year of a direct federal Teaching American History Elementary-Level grant evaluation, also for NYCDOE. Working with the Utica City School District in upstate New York, we are evaluating three federal grants (a Carol White PE/Health Grant; a Library Grant; and a School Counseling Grant), as well as two federally funded and State managed grants (Title II, Part B and Title II, Part D).

It was RWI’s reputation and innovative research and evaluations that led them to be evaluators on pioneering projects and programs such as Teaching American History, Math Partnership, Science Partnership, STEM, Enhancing Education through Technology and Even Start. RWI’s pioneering approach to how organizations process data that awarded them as NY State evaluators for the 21st Century Community Learning Center Program.

RWI has the flexibly and ability to progress with the times and embrace new technologies. With an up-to-date and secure computer system, RWI has the capabilities of capturing and managing large data sets. RWI uses technology such Moodle an Open Source Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), data collection and analysis, SPSS, SAS and STATA to manage, analyze and report on quantitative data, and NVivo to manage, analyze and report on qualitative data.  Since 2002, RWI has proven itself to be an industry leader with reliability and professionalism. RWI is always looking forward at how future projects and research can be enhanced and developed . Without a doubt, RWI will continue to guide and inform the public sector on research, analysis and evaluation industry best practice.