Elev8 Final Report
Resource type: Research Report
Research for Action & McClanahan Associates |
An evaluation of Elev8, a full-service community school model that Atlantic began supporting in 2008, shows that despite the implementation challenges faced over the course of the initiative, the program served thousands of students and families. At the same time, evaluators found that the effort fell short of the goal of yielding consistent and significant academic gains for students or large changes in schools’ performance. Still, evaluators note that two of the four participating sites found the program beneficial enough to expand their commitment to community schools.
Atlantic supported the implementation of Elev8 in a group of diverse group of high-need, underperforming middle schools in New Mexico. The model, which later expanded to Baltimore, Chicago, and Oakland, Calif., integrated four pillars of support that research has linked with improved student achievement:
- out-of-school time or extended-day learning
- school-based healthcare
- family support
- community engagement
In their summary, evaluators write: “Overall, Elev8 made great strides; it has served thousands of students and families. And while there is no definitive answer to the question, ‘Does Elev8 result in better schools and greater academic success among students?,’ evaluations of Elev8 show promising outcomes, and more rigorous evaluations of other community school efforts suggest they can bolster students’ academic success and return significant savings on money invested.”