When City Connects brought its unique, evidence-based approach to integrated student support to Indiana in 2021, it was crucial to have a partner that is part of the fabric of the state. Through a partnership with the Center for Vibrant Schools at Marian University in Indianapolis, City Connects was able to adapt to the local context and scale to more than 40 public, private, community, and charter schools throughout Indiana.
“We’ve learned a lot about combining a proven evidence-based practice with local know-how and knowledge to adapt to a new and different landscape compared to other states where City Connects has been successfully implemented,” said Joan Wasser Gish, Director of Systemic Impact at Boston College’s Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children.
Over the summer, Wasser Gish joined Jillian Lain of the Center for Vibrant Schools and Indiana State Representative Robert Behning to share these lessons learned with a national audience. The three shared a panel presentation at the Education Commission of the States National Forum on Education Policy—an event that brings together hundreds of education policymakers, leaders, and experts from across the country to discuss emerging issues, share best practices, and collaborate on shaping education policy.
“This panel was an opportunity for our partners at the Center for Vibrant Schools to share a little bit about adapting City Connects to Indiana,” said Wasser Gish.
“Indiana is a state with rapidly changing school choice policies and district/entity structures,” explained Lain.
“We have had to think creatively about staffing at the City Connects Technical Assistance Center, and in schools, to implement successfully. Scaling in Indiana required ingenuity and collaboration. Thankfully, due to the open-minded nature of educators across the state, we were able to do this in lockstep with our school partners, ensuring that the approach would work for Indiana’s schools and Indiana’s students.”
During the panel discussion, Wasser Gish shared preliminary research on the impact of City Connects in Indiana schools. Researchers have found that students who participated in City Connects for at least one year saw sizable improvements in both Math and English Language Arts, an increase that can be translated to up to 45 days of in-school instruction. Researchers also found that Indiana students in City Connects schools are 7% less likely to be chronically absent. In addition to sharing information, the panel offered an opportunity for open dialog with education leaders from across the nation.
“People from all over the country with different roles within the education system shared common concerns, like absenteeism, enrollment, and students’ mental health. We were able to have a conversation reflecting on the ways an evidence-based approach to integrated student support may help them to address some of these concerns and their state’s core priorities,” said Wasser Gish. “We talked about how local decision makers—whether they’re government or philanthropy or community partners—can really shape program and resource allocation to be even more responsive to the needs and interests of children and families in their community.”
Wasser Gish says the initial success of the City Connect’s expansion to Indiana can serve as a model for other states hoping to adopt new approaches to student support.
“A core purpose of our work is to share what we are learning so that others can implement best practices and rethink what is possible for students – especially low-income children – when they get support,” said Wasser Gish. “Coming to a broad national audience like this allows us to help people in decision-making roles think differently about what they can do to truly make real the promise of opportunity in America.”
