Publications
Peer-Reviewed
Estimating the Impact of Integrated Student Support on Elementary School Achievement: A Natural Experiment, Jordan L. Lawson, Laura M. O’Dwyer, Eric Dearing, Anastasia E. Raczek, Claire Foley, Noman Khanani, Mary E. Walsh, Yan R. Leigh, AERA Open.
Long-term effects of integrated student support: An evaluation of an elementary school intervention on postsecondary enrollment and completion, Jordan Lawson, Laura O’Dwyer, and Mary E. Walsh, AERA Open.
Integrated Student Support Intervention Mitigates the Adverse Impact of School Mobility on Middle School Students' Achievement and Behavior. Jiang, Haibin, Noman Khanani, Yan R. Leigh, and Mary E. Walsh. (2023). (EdWorkingPaper: 23-784).
Leveraging integrated student support to identify and address COVID-19-related needs for students, families, and teachers., Pollack, C., Theodorakakis, M., & Walsh, M. E. (2021), AERA Open, 7(1), 1-18.
Inquiry in action: Reflections on the implementation of best practices in child- and family-focused university–community partnerships. ,Walsh, M. E., Adams, S. M., Ferguson, S., Hearst, M. O., Jones, J.-V., Wall, S., Petsagourakis, D., Chung, A., Shannon, U., & Theodorakakis, M. Journal of Education, 201(1), 42–53.
Experiences of practitioners implementing comprehensive student support in high-poverty schools, Amy Heberle, Úna Ní Sheanáin, Mary Walsh, et. al., Improving Schools.
An economic evaluation of the costs and benefits of providing comprehensive supports to students in elementary school. Bowden, A. B., Shand, R., Levin, H. M., Muroga, A., & Wang, A. (2020), Prevention Science, 21(8),
Examining Systems of Student Support, Brooks Bowden, Atsuko Muroga, Anyi Wang, et. al., Teacher’s College, Columbia University.
Examining estimates of intervention effectiveness using sensitivity analysis. An, C. Braun, H., & Walsh, M. E. (2018). Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 37(2), 45-53.
The Long-Term Impact of Systemic Student Support in Elementary School: Reducing High School Dropout, Terrence J. Lee-St., Mary E. Walsh, Anastasia E. Raczek, et. al., AERA Open.
The impact of economic inequality on children’s development and achievement. Walsh, M. & Theodorakakis, M. Religions, 8(4), 67-79.
The Impact of Comprehensive Student Support on Teachers Knowledge of the Whole Child, Classroom Practice, and Teacher Support, Erin Sibley, Maria Theodorakakis, Mary E. Walsh, Claire Foley, Jessica Petrie, and Anastasia Raczek, Teaching and Teacher Education.
Evaluating educational interventions that induce service receipt: A case study application of City Connects. Bowden, A. B., Shand, R., Belfield, C. R., Wang, A., & Levin, H. M. (2017). American Journal of Evaluation, 38(3), 405–419.
Can Community and School-Based Supports Improve the Achievement of First-Generation Immigrant Children Attending High-Poverty Schools?, Eric Dearing, et. al., Child Development.
A New Model for Student Support in High Poverty Urban Elementary Schools: Effects on Elementary and Middle School Academic Outcomes, Mary Walsh, et. al., American Educational Research Journal.
Comprehensive Student Support: A benefit-cost analysis of City Connects, Brooks Bowde, Clive Belfield, Henry Levin, et. a;., Center for Benefit Cost Studies of Education, Columbia University.
City Connects Progress Reports
City Connects (2024). The Impact of City Connects-Progress Report 2024, City Connects, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.
City Connects (2022). The Impact of City Connects-Progress Report 2022, City Connects, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.
City Connects (2020). City Connects: Progress Report 2020, City Connects, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.
City Connects (2018). City Connects: Intervention and Impact. Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.
City Connects (2016). The Impact of City Connects: Student Outcomes. Progress Report 2016. Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.
City Connects (2014). The Impact of City Connects: Progress Report 2014. Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.
City Connects (2012). The Impact of City Connects: Progress Report 2012. Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.
City Connects (2010). The Impact of City Connects: Annual Report 2010. Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.
Reports
City Connects (2022). City Connects In the Community College Setting: The SCC Pilot. Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.
City Connects (2022). Responding to Covid-19 - The Impact of City Connects During the Covid-19 Pandemic. Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College.
Comprehensive Services for Children in Poverty: Setting the Research Agenda for Integrated Student Support, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2022)
Tipping the Scales: How integrating school and community resources can improve student outcomes and the Commonwealth’s future, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2017)
Briefs
Research Briefs
The Impact of City Connects on Select Student Sub-Groups. Chestnut Hill, MA: Center for Thriving Children. (Updated 2025)
The Impact of City Connects on Teachers and Schools. Chestnut Hill, MA: Center for Thriving Children. (Updated 2025)
Accumulation of opportunities predicts the educationalattainment and adulthood earnings of children born intolow- versus higher-income households. Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College (Updated 2024)
Long-term effects of integrated student support on postsecondary enrollment and completion. Chestnut Hill, MA: Center for Thriving Children. (Updated 2023)
Effects of the pandemic on students, families, and school staff in 2020. Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2021)
Impact of Integrated Student Support on Outcomes, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2025)
The Return on Investment of City Connects, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2020)
Reducing High School Drop-Out through Elementary School Student Support: An Analysis Including Important Student Subgroups. Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2017)
Principles of Effective Practice for Integrated Student Support. Mary E. Walsh, Ph.D., Joan Wasser Gish, J.D., M.A., Claire Foley, Ph.D., Maria Theodorakakis, M.A., Kirsten Rene, M.A. (2016). Chestnut Hill, MA: Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children (Updated 2016)
Building a sustainable intervention to address the out-of-school factors affecting achievement: A primer and case study, Foley, C., Theodorakakis, M., Walsh, M. E., DiNatale, P., & Raczek, A. (2015). Chestnut Hill, MA: Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children (Updated 2015)
City Connects: The Impact on Student Outcomes, City Connects, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2024)
Practice Briefs
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support and Integrated Student Support, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2024)
The Whole Child: Building Systems of Integrated Student Support During & After COVID-19, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2021)
Introducing Systems of Integrated Student Support, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2021)
Financing Systems of Integrated Student Support, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2024)
Defining a School Coordinator, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2021)
Reviewing Every Student, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2021)
Analyzing the Resource Landscape, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2021)
Using Data to Inform Practice, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2021)
Working With Community Partners, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2021)
Selecting Technology for Integrated Student Support, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2021)
Understanding Principles of Effective Practice, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2016)
Policy Briefs
Strengthening Whole Family Comprehensive Supports in Early Childhood: Implications for Head Start and Early Head Start , Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College (Updated 2024)
Building Systems of Integrated Student Support: A Policy Brief for Federal Leaders, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College (Updated 2021)
Building Systems of Integrated Student Support: A Policy Brief for Local and State Leaders, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College (Updated 2022)
Building a Statewide System to Support Early Childhood Program Integration With Comprehensive Services, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College (Updated 2022)
Integrated Student Supports State Policy Toolkit, Second Edition, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children & Communities In Schools. (Updated 2023)
Integrated Student Supports State Policy Toolkit Overview, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children & Communities In Schools. (Updated 2023)
Principles of Effective Practice for Integrated Student Support, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2016)
State Approaches To Integrated Student Support, Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children, Boston College. (Updated 2023)
General Publications
Let’s broaden our view of child development and well-being, A Letter to the Editor, Dr. Mary Walsh, May 10, 2024
Schools Are 100K Counselors Short. Here’s a New Approach to Student Mental Health - Joan Wasser Gish, The 74 Million, October 4, 2023
Amid rush of school support vendors, policymakers must monitor quality - Joan Wasser Gish and Haibin Jiang, Brookings Institute, February 22, 2023
Taking student support to the next level- Joan Wasser Gish, K12 Dive, November 18, 2022
Children Are Resilient: A Letter to the Editor, Dr. Mary Walsh, April 24, 2022
Relationships, resources must become a focus in learning to address mental health crisis- K12 Dive, Joan Wasser Gish, November 2021
Wraparound services crucial to school reopenings, Joan Wasser Gish, Commonwealth Magazine, June 2021
Helping Children and Families Weather COVID-19 is Vital to Education, Alexandra Marsh, City Connects Coordinator, Boston Herald, March 2021
3 priorities for schools in the COVID-19 era - Joan Wasser Gish and others, Commonwealth Magazine, June 2020
An early education system for a post-pandemic world, Joan Wasser Gish, CommonWealth Magazine, May 2020
Coordinating services for students pays huge dividend, Mary Walsh, CommonWealth Magazine, July 2019
We need a holistic approach to improving student outcomes, Joan Wasser Gish, CommonWealth Magazine, April 2018
Kids need more than academics at school to succeed. Doing it right is the trick, Joan Wasser Gish, Washington Post, Nov. 2018
‘Wraparound’ services helping kids succeed, Mary Walsh & Daniel Warwich, CommonWealth Magazine, May 2017
Wraparound services still worth it even after accounting for all costs, Joan Wasser Gish, Eric Dearing, Mary Walsh, Brookings Institute,, July 15, 2016
Dealing with stressors at urban schools, Mary Walsh & Andre Ravenell, CommonWealth Magazine, Sept. 2015