Home Visitation Program Collaboration with CSDE Proves a Success

Francisco Baires, Education Service Specialist for Family Engagement, CREC Resource Group; Kari Sullivan Custer, Education Consultant, Attendance and Engagement, CSDE; Charlene Russell-Tucker, Commissioner of Education, CSDE; Caroline Calhoun, LEAP Co-Coordinator, EdAdvance

Center for Connecticut Education Research Collaboration (CCERC), Connecticut State Department of Education’s (CSDE) research collaborative, recently released a report on the evaluation of the Learner Engagement and Attendance Program (LEAP) which showed the positive effects of home visits on student attendance.

The LEAP program, a research-based home visiting program, launched in the spring of 2021 as a collaboration between CSDE and the RESC Alliance. Jonathan Costa, Assistant Executive Director at EdAdvance, played a key role in the initial development of the LEAP program.

“Often in our work, the impact of what we do takes years to show up in practice. LEAP is an example of a wonderful interagency collaboration that addressed a specific need and had an almost immediate impact on the lives of students, parents, and educators,” said Costa. “LEAP should be a model for how challenges can be identified and met when people of good will have the resources and opportunity to work together to get the job done. Everyone at the RESC Alliance is proud of our LEAP partnership with CSDE and the difference it has made, and continues to make, for so many Connecticut families.”

EdAdvance has continued to serve in a leadership capacity, supporting the program with Caroline Calhoun, Professional Learning Specialist, co-coordinating program logistics, operations, and communications and Dr. Kevin Glass, Director of the Center for Program Research and Evaluation at EdAdvance managing all LEAP data collection, review, and analysis.

LEAP District Coordinators from Hartford, Stamford, Waterbury, and Bridgeport Public Schools

EdAdvance is proud to continue to work in collaboration with CSDE and school districts throughout the state, identifying and partnering with families to improve student attendance and family engagement.

More information about CCERC and the LEAP Program outcomes can be found below:

Press Release: CSDE’s Ground-Breaking Research Collaborative Issues New Report Showing Positive Effects of Home Visits on Student Attendance

Full CCERC LEAP Executive Summary

Chronic School Absenteeism Shows Sharp Decline After Home Visitation Program, CT Examiner