Results & Impact

City Connects increases a student's chance for success, while they are in a City Connects school and throughout their lives.

Long-Term Positive Impact

School Readiness

City Connects students demonstrate higher school readiness scores than students in comparison schools.

Report Card Grades

City Connects students achieve better report card scores in math, reading, behavior, work habits, and effort.

Standardized Test Scores

City Connects students outperform their peers on standardized test scores.

Statewide tests

Former City Connects students narrow up to 2/3rds of the achievement gap.

Grade Retention

Former City Connects students have lower rates of being held back in grade through grade 12.

School Attendance

Former City Connects students are significantly less likely to be chronically absent.

Post-Secondary Admission

Former City Connects students are more likely to enroll in and complete post-secondary education.

Statewide Tests

Former City Connects students achieve Advanced or Proficient scores on grade 10 statewide tests in both English Language Arts and Math at a much higher rate.

Dropout Rate

Former City Connects students have a dropout rate that is approximately half that of students who never experienced City Connects.

Key Findings

Publications

City Connects (2022).听The Impact of City Connects-Progress Report 2022, City Connects, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.

City Connects (2022).听Responding to Covid-19 - The Impact of City Connects During the Covid-19 Pandemic.听Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.

City Connects (2022). City Connects In the Community College Setting: The SCC Pilot.听Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.

City Connects (2020).听City Connects: Progress Report 2020, City Connects, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.

City Connects (2018).听City Connects: Intervention and Impact.听听Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.

City Connects (2016).听The Impact of City Connects: Student Outcomes. Progress Report 2016.听Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.

City Connects (2014).The Impact of City Connects: Progress Report 2014.听Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.

City Connects (2012).听The Impact of City Connects: Progress Report 2012.听Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.

City Connects (2010).听The Impact of City Connects: Annual Report 2010.听Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.

The Impact of City Connects on Select Student Sub-Groups (2023). Chestnut Hill, MA: Center for Thriving Children.

The Impact of City Connects on Teachers and Schools (2023). Chestnut Hill, MA: Center for Thriving Children.

Mary E. Walsh, Ph.D., et al. (2017).听Reducing High School Dropout through Elementary School听Student Support:听An Analysis Including Important Student Subgroups.听Chestnut Hill, MA: Center for Thriving Children.

Mary E. Walsh, Ph.D., Joan Wasser Gish, J.D., M.A., Claire Foley, Ph.D., Maria Theodorakakis, M.A., Kirsten Rene, M.A. (2016).听Principles of Effective Practice for Integrated Student Support. Chestnut Hill, MA: Center for Thriving Children.

Foley, C., Theodorakakis, M., Walsh, M. E., DiNatale, P., & Raczek, A. (2015).听Building a sustainable intervention to address the out-of-school factors affecting achievement: A primer and case study.听Chestnut Hill, MA: Center for Thriving Children.

. Pollack, C., Lawson, J., Raczek, A. E., Dearing, E., Walsh, M., Kaufman, G. (Preprint).听

听AERA OPEN, Oct 2018.听Terrence J. Lee-St. John, Mary E. Walsh, Anastasia E. Raczek, Caroline E. Vuilleumier, Claire Foley, Amy Heberle, Erin Sibley, Eric Dearing

.听Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice,听Summer 2018.听Chen An,听Henry Braun, and Mary E. Walsh.听

听Dearing, E., Walsh, M. E., Sibley, E., Lee鈥怱t John, T., Foley, C., & Raczek, A. E. (2016).听听Child Development,听87(3), 883-897. .

Wasser Gish, J., Dearing, E., and Walsh, M.E. (2016).听听The Brown Center Chalkboard, Brookings Institute

听Walsh, M. E., Madaus, G. F., Raczek, A. E., Dearing, E., Foley, C., An, C., Lee-St. John, T. J., & Beaton, A. (2014). 听American Educational Research Journal, 51(4), 704-737.

听Walsh, M. & Backe, S. (2013). Peabody Journal of Education, 88(5), 594-607.

听Walsh, M. E., Kenny, M. E., Wieneke, K. M., & Harrington, K. R. (2008). Professional School Counseling, 12(2), 166-169.

, Brooks Bowden, Clive Belfield, Henry Levin, et. al., Center for Benefit Cost Studies of Education, Columbia University.听

, Brooks Bowden, Atsuko Muroga, Anyi Wang, et. al., Teacher鈥檚 College, Columbia University.

, Amy Heberle, 脷na N铆 Shean谩in, Mary Walsh, et. al., Improving Schools.

, Erin Sibley, Maria Theodorakakis, Mary E. Walsh, Claire Foley, Jessica Petrie, and Anastasia Raczek, Teaching and Teacher Education.