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What ACS-Metropolis can do for you

ACS-Metropolis provides rigorous, practical and community-informed evaluation services to help organizations understand what is working, identify opportunities for improvement and demonstrate results.

Program evaluation is at the heart of our work. We also conduct needs assessments and organizational assessments to inform program design, strengthen organizational capacity and support evidence-based decisions.

Whether you need a complete evaluation or support at a particular stage, we help you ask the right questions, gather meaningful evidence and turn findings into actionable recommendations. Our approach is tailored to your objectives, resources and the communities you serve.

Specialized support for the settlement sector

We bring deep expertise in evaluating programs serving newcomers, immigrants, refugees, international students and temporary foreign workers, as well as initiatives supporting racialized communities.

We help organizations align evaluations with program objectives, logic models and funder-reporting requirements, including those of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Our work combines service-utilization and outcome data with culturally responsive research and meaningful input from participants, staff and partners.

Our evaluation services also support programs in education, employment, digital literacy, mental health, anti-racism, leadership and community capacity-building.

Our services

  • Program evaluation

    Understand how well your program is working, whom it is reaching and what difference it is making.

    We assess program relevance, implementation and outcomes to identify strengths, challenges and opportunities for improvement. Our services include formative, process and summative evaluations, pre-post and follow-up studies, and assessments of how programs contribute to longer-term change. Findings support service improvements, funding decisions and accountability to the communities you serve.

  • Evaluation design and planning

    Build a clear, practical plan for measuring success.

    We develop evaluation frameworks, logic models, theories of change, evaluation questions and matrices, indicators, and performance-measurement plans. We also assess evaluation readiness and design data-collection and reporting strategies that reflect your program’s objectives, funder requirements and available resources.

  • Needs assessments

    Identify unmet needs and service gaps before developing or expanding a program.

    We combine population and service data, surveys, interviews and community consultations to understand priorities, barriers to access and gaps in existing supports. Findings help you define the problem, identify whom to reach, allocate resources and design services that respond to community needs.

  • Organizational assessments

    Understand your organization’s strengths, capacity gaps and readiness for change.

    We assess organizational capacity, culture, operational processes and resource use to identify what supports—or limits—your ability to deliver on your mission. These assessments can examine staffing and partnership needs, financial sustainability and operational readiness, providing practical recommendations for organizational improvement, capacity-building and strategic planning.

  • Survey design and community-informed data collection

    Gather reliable evidence that reflects the experiences of the people involved in your work.

    We design and administer client-experience, training-evaluation, service-utilization and outcome surveys, including pre-, post- and follow-up questionnaires. We also conduct interviews, focus groups and community consultations, bringing together perspectives from participants, staff and partners through accessible and culturally responsive approaches.

  • Data analysis and interpretation

    Turn complex data into clear findings and useful insights.

    We provide descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations, significance testing, pre-post and longitudinal analysis, and subgroup and equity-focused analysis. We also analyze qualitative feedback and integrate survey, administrative and consultation data to explain patterns, assess outcomes and identify where experiences and results differ across groups.

  • Data visualization and dashboards

    Make your results easier to explore, understand and use.

    We create Tableau and web-based dashboards, interactive charts, infographics and data snapshots tailored to different audiences. From tracking service use and outcomes to presenting findings to boards, funders and communities, our visual tools make evidence accessible and support ongoing decision-making.

  • Evaluation reporting and knowledge mobilization

    Communicate what you learned—and what should happen next.

    We produce evaluation and impact reports, executive summaries, policy briefs, fact sheets, presentation decks and community-facing summaries. Our reporting connects findings to practical recommendations, helping you demonstrate results, share lessons and inform decisions among funders, partners, staff and communities.

Our approach

We work collaboratively with your team and the communities you serve to ensure that evaluation is useful, proportionate and grounded in context. We combine quantitative and qualitative evidence, examine differences in access and outcomes, and communicate findings transparently—including their limitations.

The result is more than a report: it is a stronger evidence base for improving services, planning next steps and demonstrating your contribution.

Our program evaluators

Jack Jedwab

President and CEO

Jack Jedwab is the President and CEO of the Metropolis Institute and brings more than 30 years of experience in survey design, public opinion research, program evaluation, and policy analysis. He holds a doctorate from Concordia University and has extensive expertise in developing measurement frameworks, conducting quantitative and qualitative analysis, and leading evaluation-related research initiatives across the public sector. Over the course of his career, Dr. Jedwab has provided research, analytical support, and evaluation frameworks for several federal government departments and agencies, including:

  • Canadian Heritage (PCH)
  • Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
  • Department of National Defence
  • Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
  • Privy Council Office

Jack Jedwab

President and CEO

Jack Jedwab is the President and CEO of the Metropolis Institute and brings more than 30 years of experience in survey design, public opinion research, program evaluation, and policy analysis. He holds a doctorate from Concordia University and has extensive expertise in developing measurement frameworks, conducting quantitative and qualitative analysis, and leading evaluation-related research initiatives across the public sector. Over the course of his career, Dr. Jedwab has provided research, analytical support, and evaluation frameworks for several federal government departments and agencies, including:

  • Canadian Heritage (PCH)
  • Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
  • Department of National Defence
  • Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
  • Privy Council Office

Dr. Paul Holley

Director of Research and Evaluation

Dr. Paul Holley, Director of Research and Evaluation at ACS & Metropolis Institute, brings more than 25 years of experience in applied research, program evaluation, survey design, grant development, and statistical analysis. His work has included evaluations and research studies in Canada and the United States across public health, settlement, mental health, anti-racism, early childhood, youth development, gender equality, immigrant integration, and community-based prevention.

Dr. Paul Holley

Director of Research and Evaluation

Dr. Paul Holley, Director of Research and Evaluation at ACS & Metropolis Institute, brings more than 25 years of experience in applied research, program evaluation, survey design, grant development, and statistical analysis. His work has included evaluations and research studies in Canada and the United States across public health, settlement, mental health, anti-racism, early childhood, youth development, gender equality, immigrant integration, and community-based prevention.

Sarah Kooi

Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships

Sarah Kooi brings over 15 years of experience in project management, coordination, applied research, and program evaluation, with a strong track record in partnership development, grant writing, and both primary and secondary research. She has extensive experience co-designing and delivering practical, rigorous evaluations that are responsive to stakeholder needs, while working closely with multi-sector partners and community-based organizations. Her approach emphasizes inclusive, evidence-informed practices that strengthen program impact, support strategic decision-making, and enhance meaningful community engagement through her work with the Association for Canadian Studies.

Sarah Kooi

Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships

Sarah Kooi brings over 15 years of experience in project management, coordination, applied research, and program evaluation, with a strong track record in partnership development, grant writing, and both primary and secondary research. She has extensive experience co-designing and delivering practical, rigorous evaluations that are responsive to stakeholder needs, while working closely with multi-sector partners and community-based organizations. Her approach emphasizes inclusive, evidence-informed practices that strengthen program impact, support strategic decision-making, and enhance meaningful community engagement through her work with the Association for Canadian Studies.

Recent projects

The Neighbourhood Organization (TNO)

Annual client surveys on program utilization, experience and outcomes, including evaluation support for the Worker Support Services Program for Temporary Foreign Workers and Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS) — focusing on implementation quality, reach, newcomer student and family outcomes, and alignment with IRCC’s SWIS logic model.

Digital Literacy and Learning Partnership Program

A national initiative to improve digital literacy among newcomers and vulnerable populations, including seniors. Evaluation included participant surveys, confidence and skills measures, follow-up data collection, and outcome reporting on internet confidence and day-to-day use.

Anti-Racism, Mental Health and Settlement Capacity

Evaluation of national training and capacity-building initiatives on anti-Asian racism, racial trauma and mental-health supports for settlement and community workers — using community consultations and pre-, post- and six-month follow-up surveys to assess changes in knowledge, confidence, skills and awareness.

Let’s talk about your evaluation needs

Planning a new program, reviewing an existing one or assessing organizational capacity? Tell us what you need to understand, and we will help you identify the right approach.

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