Skip to main content
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact

Search form

American Institutes for Research

  • Our Work
    • Education
    • Health
    • International
    • Workforce
    • ALL TOPICS >
  • Our Services
    • Research and Evaluation
    • Technical Assistance
  • Our Experts
  • News & Events

You are here

  • Home
12 Aug 2015
Report

Focusing on the Whole Student: Final Report on the Massachusetts Wraparound Zones

Allison Gandhi, Rachel Slama, So-Jung Park, Patrick Russo, Robin Bzura, and Sandra Williamson

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Wraparound Zones (WAZ) Initiative is designed to create coordinated district systems that allow schools to proactively and systematically address students’ nonacademic needs. AIR's evaluation of the initiative found that students in WAZ schools experienced greater gains in English language arts and math achievement than students in similar schools that did not receive the grant. These effects were significant after two and three years of implementation for English language arts and after two years of implementation for math. Gains were particularly strong in the grades 3 and 4 for limited English proficient students—equivalent to nearly a full year of achievement gains one would expect to see for a typical fourth grade student, according to AIR’s evaluation.

The four WAZ priority improvement areas follow:

  • Climate and culture. Each participating school creates a climate and a culture that promote mental health and positive social, emotional, and intellectual growth for students, resulting in a new standard of practice understood and practiced by every member of the school community.
  • Identification of student needs and efforts to address them. Each participating school implements a proactive system of identifying student needs in key academic and nonacademic areas, leading to both universal supports and targeted interventions.
  • Community coalitions. Each participating school integrates a range of resources to tailor student services from within both the school and the larger community. The range of services includes prevention, enrichment, early intervention, and intensive crisis response services.
  • District systems of support. Each participating district develops district-level systems to support the communication, collaboration, evaluation, and continuous improvement of the WAZ initiative.

AIR's evaluation explored how well the WAZ initiative achieved these goals. Research assessed progress on planning, implementation, outcomes, sustainability, and replication related to the initiative’s four priority improvement areas. This evaluation report provides results from an impact analysis focused on answering the following research question: What are the outcomes associated with WAZ implementation?

Using a comparative interrupted time series design, AIR researchers examined whether, when compared to non-WAZ schools and controlling for selected background characteristics, students in WAZ schools experienced better academic outcomes, attendance, retention rates, and suspension rates.

PDF icon Focusing on the Whole Student: Final Report on the Massachusetts Wraparound Zones (PDF)

Related Projects

Project

Wraparound Zone Initiative Evaluation

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Wraparound Zones (WAZ) Initiative is designed to create coordinated district systems that allow schools to proactively and systematically address the nonacademic needs of students. AIR conducted an evaluation of how well the WAZ Initiative achieved these goals, which found improvements in student behavior, family engagement, and the student referral process, and that students in WAZ schools performed better on the English language arts and mathematics assessment as compared with students in comparison schools.

Related Work

11 Aug 2015
Video

gandhi-lss-homepage.jpg

Allison Gandhi

Long Story Short: How Can Non-Academic Supports in Schools Lead to Better Student Achievement?

Issues besides academics, such as mental health and safety, often affect student attendance and learning. In this interview, AIR principal researcher Allison Gandhi discusses how schools can foster well-being by providing non-academic support services, enabling students to thrive and achieve better academic outcomes.
Topic: 
Education, School Climate and Safety, Social and Emotional Learning, Mental Health
12 Aug 2015
News Release

Evaluations of Massachusetts School Wraparound Zone and School Redesign Grant Programs Show Student Success in State English and Math Test Scores

AIR evaluations of two federally funded initiatives aimed at revamping chronically low-performing schools in Massachusetts found that students in both programs improved their scores in state tests of English language arts and mathematics. While both programs resulted in widespread improvement, AIR’s evaluations found particularly strong increases in achievement among students with limited English proficiency.
12 Aug 2015
Report

Evaluation of Massachusetts District and School Turnaround Assistance: Impact of School Redesign Grants (SRG)

Examining whether students in schools receiving School Redesign Grants (SRG) experienced better academic outcomes and attendance than non-SRG students, this evaluation done for the Massachusetts Office of District and School Turnaround Assistance found consistently positive and generally robust effects on student academic achievement, particularly on standardized state assessments. Results also suggest, however, that SRG receipt does not affect student attendance.
Topic: 
District and School Improvement

Further Reading

  • Long Story Short: How Can Non-Academic Supports in Schools Lead to Better Student Achievement?
  • Evaluations of Massachusetts School Wraparound Zone and School Redesign Grant Programs Show Student Success in State English and Math Test Scores
  • Wraparound Zone Initiative Evaluation
  • What Can Massachusetts’ Wraparound Zones Teach Us About School Turnaround?
  • Highlights from 2015's Most-Viewed Work
Share

Contact

Allison Gandhi

Allison Gandhi

Vice President

Topic

Education
District and School Improvement
School Climate and Safety
Mental Health

RESEARCH. EVALUATION. APPLICATION. IMPACT.

About Us

About AIR
Board of Directors
Leadership
Experts
Clients
Contracting with AIR
Contact Us

Our Work

Education
Health
International
Workforce

Client Services

Research and Evaluation
Technical Assistance

News & Events

Careers at AIR


Search form


 

Connecting

FacebookTwitterLinkedinYouTubeInstagram

American Institutes for Research

1400 Crystal Drive, 10th Floor
Arlington, VA 22202-3289
Call: (202) 403-5000
Fax: (202) 403-5000

Copyright © 2020 American Institutes for Research®.  All rights reserved.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap