State-Supported Evidence-Based Strategies
The State has identified strategies that, if implemented according to the parameters outlined, will meet the evidence-based intervention requirement for schools in the CSI, ATSI, and TSI support models.
Grade Range
9-12
Parameters
- Create learning communities that partner with colleges and universities to offer secondary students an opportunity to earn an associate degree or up to two years of college credits toward a bachelor’s degree during high school at no or little cost to the students.
- Offer dual enrollment high school course and college course enrollment options to provide a rigorous high school curriculum tied to the incentive of earning college credits.
- Extend curriculum to include online courses
- Develop courses to be offered on weekends and during summer months
- Develop a school master schedule that will provide common planning time for teachers to discuss and monitor student progress
For more information
Castellano, M., Sundell, K. E., Overman, L. T., Richardson, G. B., Stone, J. I., & National Research Center for Career and Technical, E. (2014). Rigorous tests of student outcomes in CTE programs of study: Final report. Retrieved from
Berger, A., Garet, M., Hoshen, G., Knudson, J., & Turk-Bicakci, L. (2014). Early college, continued success: Early college high school initiative impact study. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. Retrieved from
Rumberger, R. W., Addis, H., Allensworth, E., Balfanz, R., Bruch, J., Dillon, E., & Mathematica Policy Research, I. (2017). Preventing dropout in secondary schools. educator's practice guide. What Works Clearinghouse. Retrieved from
Grade Range
PK-12
Parameters
The community schools strategy transforms a school into a place where educators, local community members, families, and students work together to strengthen conditions for student learning and healthy development. They organize in- and out-of-school resources, supports, and opportunities so that young people thrive. (Learning Policy Institute, 2023)
- Establish enabling conditions: Conduct a comprehensive needs assessment that reflects input from all stakeholders. Develop a shared vision and goals for student success and community well-being. Build trusting relationships by creating a welcoming school climate that fosters inclusivity and cultural responsiveness. Implement inclusive decision-making processes and create systems for actionable data to guide the work.
- Implement key practices:
- Develop supportive infrastructure: Secure sustainable funding from public and private sources. Create shared governance structures, such as hiring a full-time community school coordinator to manage partnerships and programs. Engage in continuous improvement through ongoing assessment and refinement of practices. Form strategic partnerships with local organizations to address identified needs. Offer professional learning opportunities for all staff on the community school strategy. Establish robust data systems to track progress and inform decision-making.
For more information
Blank, M., Harkavy, I., Quinn, J., Villarreal, L., & Goodman, D. (2023). The Community Schools Revolution: Building Partnerships, Transforming Lives, Advancing Democracy. Collaborative Communications Group. Available at
Institute for Educational Leadership. (2018). Community School Standards. Available at
Learning Policy Institute. (2023). Community Schools Forward. Available at
National Center for Community Schools. (2011). Building Community Schools: A Guide for Action. Available at and (2017). Leading with Purpose and Passion: A Guide for Community School Directors. Available at:
New York State Community Schools Technical Assistance Centers. Available at
RAND Project (2020) “Illustrating the Promise of Community Schools: An Assessment of the Impact of the New York City Community Schools Initiative.” Available at:
Grade Range
K-6
Parameters
- Students are assigned to the same teacher for a second time in a higher grade.
For More Information
Hill, A.J., & Jones, D.B. (2018).A teacher who knows me: The academic benefits of repeat student-teacher matches. Economics of Education Review.
Grade Range
6-12
Parameters
Modified from Getting Students on Track for Graduation: Impacts of the Early Warning Intervention and Monitoring System (Faria et al.)
- Step 1—Establish roles and responsibilities. Schools establish a team to lead and carry out the EWIMS process, determine the frequency and duration of meetings, and develop a shared vision for the team’s work. The team should include a broad representation of staff within the school. The team should meet monthly and examine students’ risk status and progress in interventions at the end of each grading period and at the end of the school year.
- Step 2—Use the early warning data tool. The EWIMS team, with support from data or technology specialists, imports student demographic data and initial data on absences, course failure, grade point average, and behavior indicators into the early warning data tool
- Step 3—Review the early warning data. The EWIMS team focuses its attention on student- and school-level data, based on the indicators available in the tool. Data are reviewed to identify students who are at risk for not graduating on time and to examine patterns in student engagement and academic performance within the school. This step is critical when using any type of early warning data, although the focus here is on using the “research-based” indicators and thresholds preloaded into the tool. Step 3 is revisited any time new data become available.
- Step 4—Interpret the early warning data. The EWIMS team seeks out and brings in additional data (besides the indicators) to better understand the specific needs of individual students or groups of flagged students. Unlike step 3, which is focused on the risk indicators in the tool, this step focuses on the underlying causes that might lead students to be identified as at risk on one or more indicators, using additional formal data (for example, administrative records) and informal input (for example, from teachers, family, and students).
- Step 5—Assign and provide interventions. EWIMS team members make decisions about matching individual students to specific interventions in the school, district, and community, which are locally determined.
- Step 6—Monitor students and interventions. The EWIMS team examines the student risk indicators on an ongoing basis to monitor the progress of students who have already been assigned to interventions. If these students continue to be flagged as at risk, the EWIMS team may consider assigning them to different interventions
- Step 7—Evaluate and refine the early warning process. Through active and structured reflection, EWIMS team members revise specific strategies or their general approach as needed and determine how best to allocate resources to support at-risk students. This step encourages EWIMS teams to make course corrections to any aspect of EWIMS implementation.
For more information
Getting Students on Track for Graduation: Impacts of the Early Warning Intervention and Monitoring System (Faria et al.)
Grade Range
PK-12
Parameters
Out-of-School-Time (OST) programs support student academic and social emotional learning before and after the school day and during school breaks. They provide a safe and supportive environment where young people can engage in academic enrichment, creative opportunities, and physical activity.
- Plan and design your program. Conduct a needs and resources assessment. Use findings to identify supportive program goals, to determine program offerings, and to establish a schedule of activities.
- Establish clear and consistent policies and procedures to manage the program. Recruit and retain qualified staff. Provide orientation and ongoing professional learning. Identify a safe and accessible location to accommodate program needs. Acquire necessary permits and certificates, develop parent/guardian consent forms, establish safety and attendance policies, and create or identify a system for tracking student attendance. Establish a system for fiscal management.
- Determine how you will evaluate the program. Select a method and tools for ongoing program assessment and monitoring of student progress. Engage in continuous improvement strategies.
- Partner with families and community organizations expand and enhance program offerings. Decide how you will market the program and recruit participants.
- Create a plan for sustainability. Identify and pursue diverse funding sources.
For more information
Afterschool Alliance. (2014). "The Afterschool Effect: Evaluating the Impact of Afterschool Programs" Link:
Durlak, J. A., & Weissberg, R. P. (2011). "The Impact of After-School Programs That Promote Personal and Social Skills." Chicago: Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Link:
Little, P. M. D., Wimer, C., & Weiss, H. B. (2008). "After-School Programs in the 21st Century: Their Potential and What It Takes to Achieve It." Harvard Family Research Project. Link:
Chung, S., & Smerdon, B. (2009). "After-School Programs in the United States: A Snapshot." National Center for Education Statistics.
Lauer, P. A., et al. (2006). "The Effectiveness of Out-of-School Time Programs for Elementary-Aged Children." Policy Studies Associates, Inc.. Link:
The Wallace Foundation. (2017). "The Role of After-School Programs in Supporting Social-Emotional Learning." Link:
Miller, B. M. (2003). "Critical Hours: Afterschool Programs and Educational Success." The Aspen Institute. Link:
Fashola, O. S. (2002). "Review of Research on the Effectiveness of Out-of-School-Time Programs for Elementary-Aged Children." ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education.
Vandell, D. L., et al. (2005). "The Study of After-School Programs: A Longitudinal Study of School-Age Children." Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 26(6), 492-501.
National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST). (2007). "Research and Evaluation Findings on Afterschool Programs." Link:
Bodilly, S. J., & Beckett, M. K. (2005). "Making Out-of-School Time Matter: Evidence for an Action Agenda." RAND Corporation. Link:
Grade Range
All
Parameters:
Coaching programs are broadly defined as in-service PD programs where coaches or peers observe teachers’ instruction and provide feedback to help them improve. Coaching should be individualized, time-intensive, sustained over the course of a semester or year, context-specific, and focused on discrete skills. Common roles for coaches include:
- Instructional: Helps teachers implement effective instructional strategies, new ideas, often by observing a teacher and providing feedback, demonstrating a lesson, or even co-teaching.
- Curriculum: Excels at understanding content standards, how components of a curriculum link together, in addition to how to use the content in planning instruction and assessment. These individuals can ensure a consistent curriculum implementation throughout a school.
- Data: Leads conversations that assists teachers in analyzing data and then applying the data to strengthen instruction
For More Information:
Matthew A. Kraft, David Blazar, Dylan Hogan. The Effect of Teacher Coaching on Instruction and Achievement: A Meta-Analysis of the Causal Evidence. Review of Educational Research, November 2016
Grade Range
6-8
Parameters
- Develop 90-minute periods and larger blocks of continuous, uninterrupted instructional time
- Provide extended small group learning opportunities, cooperative group learning, using formative assessments activities and more individualized (one-on-one) instruction
- Design lessons to teach, discuss, review or correct in the same day
- Create teams of teachers with common groups of students.
- Develop master schedules that provide common planning time for teachers
For more information
Caplinger, R. T. (2013). The impact of flexible interdisciplinary block scheduling on reading achievement. Retrieved from
Rumberger, R. W., Addis, H., Allensworth, E., Balfanz, R., Bruch, J., Dillon, E., & Mathematica Policy Research, I. (2017). Preventing dropout in secondary schools. educator's practice guide. What Works Clearinghouse. Retrieved from
Grade Range
PK-12
Parameters
Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is a systemic, evidence-based, continuous school-improvement framework in which data-based problem solving, and decision-making are practiced across all levels of the educational system. MTSS-I provides the structure for districts to prioritize the needs of the whole child, including social-emotional, behavioral, and academic growth. It ensures culturally responsive-sustaining environments that are welcoming, safe, and bias aware, forming the foundation of all instruction and interventions.
- Implement a three-tiered support structure. Tier 1 Universal Interventions serve all students. Tier 2 Secondary Interventions meet the needs of students in need of additional support, and Tier 3 Tertiary Interventions are for students in need of individual support.
- Make data-driven decisions based on multiple data collection and assessment methods to ensure students receive the appropriate supports for their needs. Consider universal screenings, diagnostics, and ongoing progress monitoring.
- Create teaming structures to lead the work, including a District Leadership Team (DLT), School Leadership Teams (SLTs), and Grade-Level Teams (GLTs). These teams collaborate to coordinate supports across the tiers.
- Integrate all services, including academic, behavioral, social emotional learning, health, and mental health, to ensure consistency and alignment across service areas and support tiers.
- Apply culturally responsive-sustaining and equitable education practices to better ensure that every student can access the specific resources they need.
- Implement in phases. It can take 2-4 years to reach full implementation. It encourages use of Implementation Science Stages, including Exploration, Installation, Initial Implementation, and Full Implementation. Ongoing professional development and coaching is necessary for program fidelity.
For more information
鶹Ƶ. (2023) Multi-Tiered System of Supports – Integrated (MTSS-I) Pilot Framework. Available at
American Institutes for Research (AIR). (2024). Essential Components of MTSS. Available at and Implementation. Available at:
Grade Range
All
Parameters
Leadership is second only to teaching among school related factors as an influence on learning. Effective pre-service and in-service principal training programs should be aligned with the 2015 Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSELs), and must include at least one of the following activities:
- high-quality mentoring and coaching,
- peer observations,
- visits to other schools, principals networks and conferences,
- participation in professional development with teachers
- guided “walk-throughs” of schools to look at particular practices in classrooms and consider how to evaluate/improve learning and teaching
For More Information
Karen Seashore Louis, Kenneth Leithwood, Kyla L. Wahlstrom, Stephen E. Anderson et al., Learning from Leadership: Investigating the Links to Improved Student Learning, Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement/University of Minnesota and Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto, 2010, 9. Available at
Linda Darling-Hammond, Michelle LaPointe, Debra Meyerson, Margaret Orr. Preparing School Leaders for a Changing World: Lessons from Exemplary Leadership Development Programs – Final Report, Stanford, 2007. Available at
Grade Range
All
Parameters
PLCs are learning teams organized by subject, grade level, and/or special interest in which teachers meet weekly to:
- Discuss issues around student learning
- Collect and analyze data
- Develop and try out instructional solutions
- Assess the impact of these solutions
Research indicates that well-implemented PLCs support improvements in practice along with student learning gains. The most successful PLCs have an explicit focus on student learning, increase teacher empowerment and authority in decision making, and promote continuous teacher learning through joint study of research literature.
For More Information
Linda Darling-Hammond, Maria E. Hyler, and Madelyn Gardner, with assistance from Danny Espinoza. Effective Teacher Professional Development. Learning Policy Institute. 2017, p. 17. Available at
Rhonda Barton and Jennifer Stepanek. The Impact of Professional Learning Communities. Principal’s Research Review, a publication of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Vol 7, Issue 4, July 2012.
Grade Range
6-12
Parameters
- Implement a year-long system that reduces the use of suspensions, calls to the police, and permanent removal of a student from a school systemin response to student misbehavior to eliminate racial inequalities in discipline practices.
- Design graduated discipline systems that increase consequences based on the seriousness of student offenses and eliminate “zero tolerance” policies.
- Develop district-wide staff professional development on culture change and restorative justice approaches.
- Adopt graduated social and emotional support systems by including interventions that range from individual and group counseling to mediation.
For more information
Anyon, Y., Jenson, J. M., Altschul, I., Farrar, J., McQueen, J., Greer, E., & ... Simmons, J. (2014). The persistent effect of race and the promise of alternatives to suspension in school discipline outcomes.Children & Youth Services Review.