Publications

Student research fellows studied their peers' sense of belonging and emotional regulation so that the district could develop programming to better serve SUHSD students.

This quasi-experimental study shows that a comprehensive and mature summer learning program led to substantial reductions in unexcused absences, chronic absenteeism, and suspensions, as well as a modest gain in English language arts test scores.

This document provides an overview of the applicable law and model procedures to create clear and consistent identification, placement, and intake policies for the voluntary transfer of students to continuation schools.

The Gardner Center has always engaged young people as research partners and participants and, in recent years, introduced a new research fellowship for high school and college students. This report shares our experiences implementing the fellowship in three California communities.

Redwood City School District set a goal that every student will receive “appropriate social-emotional supports designed to meet their needs,” including a plan to place a full-time, district-employed, licensed clinical mental health counselor in each of its twelve schools for the 2021–22 and 2022–23 academic years.   

This study shows the impact of an innovative “community response” pilot in Denver that directed targeted emergency calls to healthcare responders instead of the police, finding robust evidence that the program reduced less serious crimes by 34 percent and had no detectable effect on more serious crimes.  

Redwood City School District set a goal that every student will receive “appropriate social-emotional supports designed to meet their needs,” including a plan to place a full-time, district-employed, licensed clinical mental health counselor in each of its twelve schools for the 2021–22 and 2022–23 academic years. This report provides an initial analysis of that effort.  

Research fellows studied Oakland high school students’ experiences with health and wellness so the district could develop programming to better serve students.

In partnership with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and 22 San Mateo County school districts, the Gardner Center explored how local students experience housing instability, the effects of housing instability on academic outcomes, and how cross-sector strategies can better identify and serve these students.

In partnership with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and 22 San Mateo County school districts, the Gardner Center explored how local students experience housing instability, the effects of housing instability on academic outcomes, and how cross-sector strategies can better identify and serve these students.

This case study shares the story of how one continuation high school supports the mental wellbeing of its teachers, who can face burnout, compassion fatigue, and even secondary traumatic stress.

This case study examines how Garden Grove supports its continuation school by identifying high quality leaders and facilitating their development.

This study finds that students assigned to an ethnic studies class in ninth grade had substantially increased high school graduation, attendance, and the probability of enrolling in college.

This study shows that the availability of the African American Male Achievement (AAMA) program in Oakland led to a significant reduction in the number of Black males who dropped out as well as smaller reductions among Black females, particularly in ninth grade.

This case study follows the journey of one student in Southern California, illustrating what is possible when we honor the learning students do in and out of school.

This article identifies four basic approaches that community foundations can use to renovate their scholarship programs and features three community foundations that have altered their scholarship programs to increase equitable outcomes.  

A group of 10 students, who each had participated in a college access/college success program, conducted research to understand the experience of college students in the Los Angeles area to help shape a new set of strategies for the Los Angeles Scholars Investment Fund.

La Sierra, an alternative school in Tulare County, California, centers the learning of all school community members — including leaders, teachers, staff, parents, and students.

This report summarizes the efforts of the College Futures Foundation to engage community foundations across California as partners and leaders in reducing statewide disparities in college completion rates.

This study investigates whether including a question about the Underground Railroad early in an English Language Arts assessment created a racial bias in performance on the remaining test items.