top of page
programs-background.jpg

Read results from our research and evaluation work.

Skyline of Richmond VA
Research

How can schools better support adolescent wellbeing? Perspectives from Richmond, VA

We wanted to know how schools can better support adolescents wellbeing from the perspective of teens living in our shared city. Our conversations suggest that investment in youth wellbeing does not necessarily require new curriculum, programs, or even staff. Learn about students' perspectives and the implications for youth-serving organizations.

Children and an adult together
Research

Whole-School Wellbeing: How Education Leaders Can Create a System Where Students and Teachers Thrive

We show how leaders at two schools created the conditions for students and teachers to thrive through creative staffing and budgeting, coherent structures, and a commitment to belonging and inclusion. However, these schools did not act alone. Learn how education and system leaders can create the conditions for teachers and students to thrive. and students to thrive.

An icon of people under a building
Research

Learning to Get Along: VitalVoices Pilot Results

VitalVoices curriculum supports adolescent need for connection. Pilot results with two 5th grade classrooms suggest that students improved their ability to get along with one another, including those whom they perceive as different from themselves. These early results, based on a fraction of the total curriculum, are promising.

A student sitting at a desk, handling computer hardware.
Research

Developing Homegrown Talent: Eight rural school districts are using career-connected learning to contribute to the local communities’ workforce

The Homegrown Talent Initiative is based on the bold premise that school districts can be engines of growth for rural communities and their economies.

An icon of an open book with a vine growing out of it.
Research

Schools Lead the Way But the System Must Change: Rethinking Career and Technical Education

Youth need training in soft skills alongside preparation for lifetime learning. Systemic change, not minor improvements, will be necessary.

An icon of an open book with a vine growing out of it.
Research

Putting Families at the Center: The Role of Parent Advocacy Groups during COVID-19

As school systems nationwide struggle to deliver learning in a pandemic, parent advocacy groups are stepping up to help Black and Hispanic families who have often been left out of previous education policymaking discussions.

An icon of an open book with a vine growing out of it.
Research

Case Studies: How 11 States Are Using Emergency Federal Funds to Make Improvements in College and Career Access That Will Endure Beyond the Pandemic

We identified 11 states that invested in initiatives that are designed to outlast the pandemic and have the potential to address long-standing gaps in college and career access.

An icon of an open book with a vine growing out of it.
Research

Addressing Persistently Underperforming Schools: Evidence and Common Challenges

The federal government, states, districts, and schools have experimented with many different strategies to improve school quality. What do we know about the effectiveness of these varied strategies?

Two school buses parked side by side, with a view of children playing behind a fence.
Research

What Do We Actually Know About the Four-Day School Week?

What does the four-day school week means for students and communities: Is this a rural innovation born out of necessity—that with accountability and strategic use can result in improved student opportunities? Or is this fundamentally a negative trend?

An icon of an open book with a vine growing out of it.
Research

COVID–19 Showed Us How Important It Is to Focus on Adolescent Well-Being: Here Is What School Systems Should Do

States and districts should be using the pandemic as an opportunity to reassess how they support adolescents and their families. This doesn’t require radical redesign, fancy technology, or additional staff. Schools can make important changes with the resources they currently have.

bottom of page