Our Research

This report looks at how 70 schools in Boston are supporting students through the Comprehensive Behavioral Health Model. In addition to exploring the launch, school-based implementation, and scaling of this model, the report examines promising practices in other Massachusetts districts focusing on behavioral health.

Our latest report takes an in-depth look at what career pathways exist for Opportunity Youth (OY) by going straight to the source. We held a series of focus groups with Boston youth to gain insight into the educational experiences and career opportunities available across the city.

In Boston and Providence, youth serving organizations recognized a need to credential students' real-world skills including teamwork, perseverance and critical thinking. By issuing digital badges, a microcredential gaining traction in both workforce development and education, programs are equipping students with portable evidence of their skills.

This annual status report looks at 25 state-level indicators of school performance to illuminate areas of success and areas for continued improvement across the education pipeline. This year's report examines the role students play in shaping our education system.

This research report examines the dramatic turnaround of the Mildred Avenue School in Mattapan, which won EdVestors' 2017 School on the Move Prize. We teamed up with EdVestors to investigate the role of teacher leadership and labor-management collaboration in driving rapid school improvement.

The winners of the 2017 Pozen Prize for Innovative Schools—the Winter Hill Community Innovation School in Somerville, MA and the Paul Revere Innovation School in Revere, MA—excel in attending to the social, emotional, and intellectual needs of all students in the richly diverse communities they serve. This case study looks at the key practices these schools used to meet student learning needs and the influence school-based decision-making can have on accelerating school improvement.

Students who cannot read proficiently by the end of third grade struggle to learn through text as they progress through school and life. The cascading effects of third grade reading, including widening academic achievement gaps and social-emotional challenges, extend into adulthood. We teamed up with Stand for Children on this policy brief, which examines the influence of literacy on individual, societal, and economic well-being.

This annual status report looks at 25 state-level indicators of school performance to illuminate areas of success and areas for continued improvement across the education pipeline. This year’s report also features a guide for continuous improvement in classroom, schools, and districts.

This report examines the way in which the Bay State Reading Institute, a small group literacy model, improved teacher capacity to differentiate instruction for diverse learners in Everett, MA.

This brief explores policies to improve college graduation rates for opportunity youth and first-generation college students, looking at how colleges, community-based organizations, and the Commonwealth can systemize supports for these students.