Study: 89377

Single Study Review

Review Details

Reviewed: July 2021

At least one finding shows moderate evidence of effectiveness

At least one statistically significant positive finding

Meets WWC standards with reservations

For:

Single Study Review (findings for NYC Community Schools)

Using:

Rating:

Meets WWC standards with reservations because it uses a cluster quasi-experimental design that provides evidence of effects on clusters by demonstrating that the analytic sample of individuals is representative of the clusters and satisfying the baseline equivalence requirement for the clusters in the analytic intervention and comparison groups.

This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.

Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Findings

Completing high school (long-run) outcomes—Statistically significant positive effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index
Proportion graduated	NYC Community Schools vs. Business as usual	3 Years	Full sample; high schools; 142,833 students	83.87	79.00	Yes	8
Show Supplemental Findings
Proportion graduated	NYC Community Schools vs. Business as usual	1 Year	Cohort 1; high schools; 47,863 students	83.68	79.00	Yes	7
Proportion graduated	NYC Community Schools vs. Business as usual	2 Years	Cohort 2: high schools; 46,532 students	81.78	79.00	Yes	--

General Literacy Achievement outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index
Average ELA test score	NYC Community Schools vs. Business as usual	3 Years	Full sample; grades 3-8; 1,161,479 students	-0.50	-0.51	No	--
Show Supplemental Findings
Average ELA test score	NYC Community Schools vs. Business as usual	1 Year	Cohort 1; grades 3-8; 390,688 students	-0.51	-0.51	No	--

General Mathematics Achievement outcomes—Statistically significant positive effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index
Average Math Test Score	NYC Community Schools vs. Business as usual	3 Years	Full sample; grades 3-8; 1,145,276 students	-0.51	-0.58	Yes	3
Show Supplemental Findings
Average Math Test Score	NYC Community Schools vs. Business as usual	1 Year	Cohort 1; grades 3-8; 386,592 students	-0.55	-0.58	No	--

Progressing in secondary school or adult education outcomes—Statistically significant positive effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index
Credits accumulated	NYC Community Schools vs. Business as usual	3 Years	Full sample; high schools; 704,322 students	11.96	10.69	Yes	12
Show Supplemental Findings
Credits accumulated	NYC Community Schools vs. Business as usual	1 Year	Cohort 1; high schools; 171 schools	11.87	10.60	Yes	--

Secondary school attendance outcomes—Statistically significant positive effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index
Proportion chronically absent	NYC Community Schools vs. Business as usual	3 Years	Full sample; high schools; 657,968 students	42.72	51.00	Yes	8
Show Supplemental Findings
Proportion chronically absent	NYC Community Schools vs. Business as usual	2 Years	Cohort 2; high schools; 218,681 students	41.60	51.00	Yes	9
Proportion chronically absent	NYC Community Schools vs. Business as usual	1 Year	Cohort 1; high schools; 222,072 students	44.94	51.00	Yes	6

Student engagement in school outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement index
Number of disciplinary incidents	NYC Community Schools vs. Business as usual	3 Years	Full sample; high schools; 718,097 students	0.33	0.33	No	--
Show Supplemental Findings
Number of disciplinary incidents	NYC Community Schools vs. Business as usual	1 Year	Cohort 1; high schools; 171 schools	0.33	0.32	No	--

Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Sample Characteristics

Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.

17% English language learners
Urban
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New York

Race
Asian		3%
Black		40%
Other or unknown		54%
White		2%

Ethnicity
Hispanic		53%
Not Hispanic or Latino		47%

Study Details

Setting

The study took place in 510 elementary, middle, and high schools in New York City, 113 of which were Community Schools.

Study sample

A total of 113 Community Schools and 397 comparison schools participated in the study. In these schools, 17% of students were English learners, 88% were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and 23% had a disability. Fifty-three percent of students were Hispanic or Latino; 40% were Black, non-Hispanic; 3 percent were Asian, non-Hispanic; and 2 percent were White, non-Hispanic.

Intervention Group

New York City Community Schools strive to establish school-community collaborations so that academics, health and wellness, and family empowerment are incorporated in the climate and culture of the schools. There are four core features of community schools: (1) collaborative leadership and practices, which includes data-informed planning, public-private partnerships, and needs assessments; (2) family and community engagement, which includes family nights, family leadership training, and specialized programs such as adult education classes and home visits; (3) expanded learning time and opportunities, which includes hands-on learning experiences, summer programming, and cofacilitation of programming with community based organizations before, during, and after school; and (4) integrated student supports, which includes mental health, reproductive health, vision screenings, mentoring, and vulnerable youth services such as homelessness and immigration services.

Comparison Group

Comparison schools did not implement the New York City Community Schools model. Students in these comparison schools received public school instruction as usual.

Support for implementation

The New York City Community Schools model was initially funded with $52 million. The Office of Community Schools assigned each school a program manager to coach school staff and help them develop school-community collaborations. Each program manager was responsible for up to 15 schools. The Office of School Health assigned a school mental health manager to support implementation efforts across multiple schools for wellness programs and integrated student supports. The program is also supported with partnerships from various community-based organizations.

Illustrating the Promise of Community Schools: An Assessment of the Impact of the New York City Community Schools Initiative. Research Report. RR-3245-NYCCEO