When Relationships Remove Barriers: New Research Affirms the Impact of Communities In Schools in Eastern Pennsylvania

Anyone who works in a school across Eastern Pennsylvania knows this reality: students don’t fall behind because they lack potential; they fall behind because life gets in the way.

In communities throughout Pennsylvania, from urban neighborhoods to small towns, students face real barriers to learning. Hunger. Housing instability. Chronic absenteeism. Mental health challenges. A lack of consistent adult support. These challenges make it difficult for students to focus, engage, and fully benefit from the academic opportunities schools work hard to provide.

New landmark research from Opportunity Insights, in partnership with the EdRedesign Lab at the Harvard School of Education and led by Cornell economist Benjamin Goldman, confirms what educators and CIS of Eastern PA partners have long believed: when students are paired with a trusted adult who helps them navigate both school and life, the impact extends far beyond the classroom.

The study examines the Communities In Schools model, which places trained site coordinators inside high-need schools to connect students with personalized supports. Here in Eastern Pennsylvania, that means helping students and families access tutoring and mentoring, food and clothing resources, behavioral health services, and connections to stable housing—whatever is needed to ensure students can show up to school ready to learn and succeed once they are there. It is a relationship-driven approach that CIS of Eastern PA  has refined for over 40 years, which brings support directly into local schools and communities.

The results are clear and compelling. Students who received CIS support showed improvements in standardized test scores, particularly those already struggling academically. Three years of CIS exposure increased high school graduation rates by 5.2 percent and two-year college enrollment by 9.1 percent. The benefits continue into adulthood: by age 27, CIS students earned about 4.3 percent more annually—roughly $1,140 per year—translating to more than $36,000 in additional lifetime earnings in today’s dollars.

For school and district leaders across Eastern PA, these findings are especially meaningful. Academic improvement was only part of the story. Improvements in attendance, behavior, and student engagement played a central role in long-term success. The research shows that non-academic supports—often the hardest for schools to address alone—are essential to improving graduation rates and economic mobility.

For districts working to address chronic absenteeism and rising student needs, CIS of Eastern PA strengthens existing school efforts rather than replacing them. By helping remove barriers outside the classroom, site coordinators allow teachers to focus on instruction and help schools maximize the impact of their academic programs. The study also shows that short-term indicators like attendance and behavior can reliably predict long-term outcomes, making integrated student supports a practical, data-informed strategy for schools throughout the region.

For donors and community partners, the return on investment is significant. Three years of CIS support costs approximately $3,000 per student and generates an estimated $7,100 in lifetime federal tax revenue—more than $2 returned for every dollar invested. These outcomes are driven by personalized support and strong relationships, not costly infrastructure, making the model both efficient and scalable in communities across our region.

Today, CIS of Eastern PA serves more than 41,000 students in 40 schools across 6 counties in Eastern Pennsylvania. This research reinforces a simple but powerful idea: expanding opportunity in high-poverty schools requires pairing resources with relationships. When students have someone in their corner helping them access supports, stay engaged, and overcome barriers, they don’t just get through school; they build a path toward long-term success for themselves, their families, and our communities.