There is a story behind the story.
In 2014, the Boston Globe ran an article on a study of City Connects that showed that students who attended City Connects schools were “shown to drop out of high school at half the rate of their peers from other schools.” The article said,
“The program…is based on the simple idea that a child distracted by pain, fear, or deprivation can’t possibly do as well in school as a child without those challenges, so City Connects tries to resolve as many of those issues as possible – whether it’s buying Christmas presents, fighting obesity, getting students into drawing lessons, or helping kids negotiate playground bullies.”
For the past eight years, this blog has told the stories behind that story. Under the masterful journalistic eye of blog writer, Alyssa Haywoode, this site has uncovered how and why City Connects helps every student get an opportunity to thrive.
After nurturing this site from its inception, Alyssa will step back from writing for City Connects and the Center for Thriving Children. Her absence will be deeply felt.
Alyssa’s keen eye for humanistic details and understanding of the science behind City Connects’ practice allowed her to weave insights, passions, concepts, and care into compelling, vibrant stories on this blog.
For that, we – and our readers – are truly grateful.
Thank you to Alyssa for her years of hard work and care in illuminating the people and the work of City Connects, the Center, and the field of integrated student support. You can read some of her most popular posts below.
Looking ahead, a new team of writers will debut this fall to bring you new stories about the people and ideas behind getting the right support to the right student at the right time.
