The youthCONNECT Integrated Student Supports Model Shows a Relationship Between Caring Adults and Students’ Academic Outcomes

youthCONNECT is an integrated student supportsi initiative developed by Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP), a philanthropic organization in the Greater Washington, DC region, to address barriers to academic success for adolescents. This brief is the third in a series describing findings from an evaluation of youthCONNECT at Suitland High School, where the initiative was implemented from 2015 to 2020. Broadly, we found that youthCONNECT’s theory of change—or the framework underlying its efforts to enhance student outcomes—is valid. In other words, there is evidence supporting this theory of change—in particular, that the presence of a caring adult in a young person’s life is strongly associated with their academic success.