Communities In Schools' Evidence-Based Model Drives Academic Gains and Long-term Economic Mobility, According to Harvard-Cornell Research

New landmark study shows integrated supports for students in CIS schools improve standardized test scores, raise graduation rates and earnings in adulthood

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Communities In Schools^® (CIS^®), the nation's leading provider of K-12 school-based integrated student supports (ISS), announced its participation in a new research study conducted by Opportunity Insights in partnership with the EdRedesign Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Authored by Benjamin Goldman, Assistant Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Cornell University and Research Affiliate at EdRedesign; and Jamie Gracie, Postdoctoral Fellow at EdRedesign, the working paper, "When Resources Meet Relationships: The Returns to Personalized Supports for Low-Income Students," evaluates the impact of the Communities In Schools model, in which local CIS affiliates and licensed partners place trained site coordinators in schools to connect students with whole-school and individualized supports such as tutoring, mentoring, nutrition, health services and housing supports that enable them to attend school regularly and succeed.

The study demonstrates that CIS' relationship-driven approach, refined over nearly 50 years, drives outcomes that shape students' future lives, including:

• Improved standardized test scores for struggling students
• Substantial gains in high school graduation and college enrollment. Three years of CIS exposure raises high school graduation rates for students by 5.2% and two-year college enrollment by 9.1%
• Advanced economic mobility. Three years of CIS exposure increases earnings at age 27 by 4.3% ($1,140) annually, translating to more than $75,000 in additional lifetime earnings ($36,000 in present-day value)
• Strong return on public investment. Three years of CIS support—approximately $3,000 per student—generates $7,100 in lifetime federal tax revenue, yielding a $2.36 return for every dollar invested

"The academic gains we observe from CIS programs are only one piece of the broader picture explaining improvements in graduation rates and earnings," Goldman said. "CIS also helps keep students engaged in school and reduces adverse outcomes such as suspensions. These non-cognitive improvements are a key part of the program's long-run impact."

"This important research on Communities In Schools implementation shows that it is a promising intervention to improve student outcomes," said Margaret Spellings, Secretary of Education under President George W. Bush, now President and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center. "The findings show that individualized, relationship-based programs that address students' academic and non-academic needs can significantly increase the success of our most at-risk students. By providing targeted supports, Communities In Schools helps better prepare students for the workforce and puts them on a path toward long-term self-sufficiency."

This research comes at a time when Communities In Schools' integrated student supports model continues to expand across the country. Showing tremendous promise for education and economic policy development as well as local, state and national efforts to address the root causes of the chronic absenteeism crisis, CIS now operates in nearly 4,000 schools across 29 states and the District of Columbia, serving over 2 million students.

"Nearly 50 years ago, CIS pioneered a simple idea centered on the belief that every child deserves a community of support strong enough to carry them through school and into adulthood," said Rey Saldaña, a Communities In Schools alumnus who now serves as the organization's National President and CEO. "This research affirms what we witness every day: when you build authentic relationships with and connect students to the right resources, you transform the trajectory of their lives. We're proud to offer a proven whole-school model that empowers students today and opens doors to opportunity for generations to come."

"We've long sought to close the academic and economic achievement gap for low-income students, effectively tackling intergenerational poverty. Personalized student supports is a cornerstone strategy that enables a full range of public and private services to connect with struggling young people through a relationship with a caring adult. It's a scalable model that should be applied to any community or school district in America," said John King, Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama, now Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY).

Relationship-based supports, such as access to a CIS site coordinator, are at the center of the Communities In Schools model of integrated student supports. Goldman and Gracie's research demonstrates that expanding economic opportunity within high-poverty schools requires providing not just access to the resources students need to attend school regularly, but also providing routine and high-quality relationship and community supports that help students benefit from those resources.

"Tackling intergenerational poverty is one of the great issues of our time and we're eager to facilitate collaborations between the nation's leading economic mobility researchers and place-based practitioners to answer big questions and understand what works along the cradle-to-career continuum," said Rob Watson, EdRedesign Executive Director and Lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Expanding long-term access to integrated student supports like those provided by Communities In Schools could close a significant share of the achievement and income gaps between students attending high- and low-poverty schools. With strong evidence of academic gains, long-term economic mobility and a positive return on public investment, the study highlights a proven whole school impact model from which every school in the country could benefit. 

"This research offers practical guidance for programs and policies that aim to improve student outcomes and expand opportunity in communities where it has long been limited.
Like other interventions we've studied—such as helping families move to higher opportunity areas—these findings underscore a critical insight: pairing social supports with traditional financial investments is key to driving impact. In this case, combining integrated student services and navigation with public school funding delivered substantial and lasting gains in both educational success and economic mobility," added Raj Chetty, Director, Opportunity Insights, and Professor of Economics, Harvard University.

To learn more about this latest research, visit https://edredesign.org/news/new-research-proves-personalized-student-supports-improves-academic-performance-and-long-term.

About Communities In Schools
Communities In Schools^® (CIS^®) is a national organization that ensures every student has what they need to realize their potential in school and beyond. Working directly inside nearly 4,000 schools across the country, we connect students to caring adults and community resources that help them see, confront, and overcome the barriers that stand between them and a brighter future. Together, we build a powerful change movement made up of students, families, educators, CIS alumni, and champions across all 50 states committed to building a path to education for future generations. Follow us for news @communitiesinschools on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, @cisnational on X (formerly Twitter) or with the hashtag #BeingPresentMatters.

About EdRedesign
Founded in 2014 by Paul Reville, Francis Keppel Professor of Practice of Educational Policy and Administration at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, EdRedesign provides catalytic support to the cradle-to-career place-based partnership field to drive systems-level change and open personalized pathways to well-being, educational attainment, civic engagement, and upward mobility. To support this growing field to effect transformational change that serves the needs and talents of individual children and youth, our work focuses on talent development, actionable research, our Institute for Success Planning, and our By All Means initiatives. Our mission is to ensure the social, emotional, physical, and academic development and well-being of all children and youth, especially those affected by racism, poverty, and disinvestment. Learn more at www.edredesign.org.

SOURCE Communities In Schools