Full-Service Community Schools Grant Evaluation for Chicago Public Schools

Through Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS), students, their families, and the local community can receive academic, social, and health services, which can contribute to better educational outcomes for students. In 2020, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) received a Full-Service Community Schools Program grant from the U.S. Department of Education. As part of the work that this grant supports, the school district is implementing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to meet the social and emotional needs of students at a series of high schools.

AIR's Work

During the grant period, AIR will conduct an evaluation of the implementation and an impact analysis of how students benefit from attending a full-service community school. As part of the evaluation, AIR will work with Chicago Public Schools to develop and refine a series of key performance indicators to assess whether and how often students are participating in and receiving MTSS-related supports and activities, as well as how these offerings have affected them.

Through the impact study, AIR will assess how youth grow and develop over time as they participate in MTSS and Community Schools Initiative-related services and activities, compared with students attending schools that lack access to this unique set of supports.