1. Background In 2012-13, City Year Greater Philadelphia (CYGP) provided academic and behavioral supports for students in grades 6-9. Supports include one-on-one and group tutoring in math and English, attendance and behavior coaching. CYGP’s target population is students who have at least one Early Warning Indicator (EWI) for high school dropout related to attendance (attendance below 80%), behavior (1 or more out of school suspensions) or course grades (D or F in a math or English course). Project Overview Research assessed: (1) the degree to which CGYP reached its target student population in 16 partner schools; (2) whether support met dosage thresholds; (3) implementation of CYGP math and literacy assessments; (4) student academic and behavioral outcomes; and (5) CYGP supports’ effect on students’ attendance, behavior, and course performance. Methods Data Sources SDP Administrative Records -- attendance, behavior, course performance – for all participating students (1,931 CYGP students) CYGP math and literacy assessment data for all participating students Interviews with CYGP program managers, team leaders, corps members, principals and teachers at five schools (60 total) Results/Conclusions Serving the Target Population The majority of students served by corps members had at least one early warning indicator (EWI) of dropout at the start of the 2012-13 school year. A majority of all CYGP-supported students had an EWI corresponding to the support they received. o This represented a considerable increased from 2011-12. 1 A considerable number of at-risk students at partner schools did not receive CYGP supports. Roughly half of students who received academic tutoring reached CYGP dosage thresholds. o This represented a considerable increase from 2011-2. 2 Administration of the new CYGP math and English assessments was inconsistent across the CYGP partner schools. CYGP Supports and Student Performance The majority of students who received attendance coaching finished the school year with either ‘sliding’ (80-90%) or ‘off-track’ (below 80%) attendance rates. Roughly half of students receiving behavior coaching finished the school year with no suspensions. Interviews reveal that a variety of school and non- school factors can limit the effectiveness of attendance and behavior coaching. Over half of middle grades students, and less than half of 9 th grade students receiving tutoring earned a C or better in their math and English course. Across each support area, students who entered the school year at-risk across all support areas continued to struggle with attendance, behavior and academics. CYGP academic supports exerted no detectable effect on at-risk students’ academic performance for middle grades and 9 th grade students. Interviews suggest that, across schools, the context, methods and content of CYGP tutoring varied, complicating measuring impact. Also, CYGP corps members sometimes focused tutoring to address basic skills gaps, which may not impact course grades. Attendance was a strong, driving force behind academic performance in math and English for at- risk 9 th grade students. Higher levels of CYGP math tutoring had a positive and significant effect on CYGP students’ likelihood of earning a C or better in math. Research to Practice Strategies Continue to work with school administrators and staff to accurately identify at-risk students across all support areas: Prioritize attendance and behavioral supports for at- risk students. Intentionally coordinate attendance and behavioral supports with academic tutoring to support at-risk students’ academic progress. Raise the dosage targets for math and English tutoring. 1 Norton, M. Year Four Evaluation of City Year Greater Philadelphia. Research for Action: March 2013. 2 Ibid 2012-13 Evaluation of City Year Greater Philadelphia A Five-Year Study by Research for Action Contact Information: Michael Norton & Rebecca Reumann-Moore Research for Action 267.295.7760