Springfield’s Superintendent talks about City Connects

Daniel J. Warwick grew up in Springfield, Mass. He was an educator in Springfield’s schools. And he had the sense that something was missing.

“We had counseling in every school, but what was missing were the wraparound services, the supports, the connections to clinical services and other services that families need,” Warwick recalls. 

Some of our students were struggling personally and academically. Families who most needed help had a hard time accessing services on their own.

Then, in 2010, Warwick came to Boston to see City Connects in action.

“I had worked in special education as a teacher and as a supervisor, and I was a building principal for a long time,” Warwick says. “So when I saw City Connects in an urban district that was like Springfield, it made perfect sense to me that this was the missing link for us.”

City Connects offered a way to learn about every student’s strengths and needs and then connect students to services.

“Providing proactive supports makes a difference. Our suspensions and arrests are down 70 to 90 percent. And having City Connects’ specifically tailored, individual plan has really made a huge difference for our kids, because if we don’t take care of their specific needs, their academics are going to be problematic.”

A year later, City Connects launched in five Springfield schools.

Today, Warwick is Springfield’s superintendent. City Connects is operating in all of Springfield’s schools. And connecting students to services has yielded sweepingly positive results.

As City Connects’ 2022 Progress Report explains, researchers found that “math assessment scores increased significantly.” English Language Arts achievement improved. Students in City Connects schools were found to show more effort and have better behavior than peers who had not attended a City Connects School.

Warwick points to another crucial improvement.

“City Connects had a big impact on school climate because students who aren’t getting services often have trouble with regulation in school, and they disrupt the environment for themselves and other kids.”

“Providing proactive supports makes a difference,” Warwick adds. “Our suspensions and arrests are down 70 to 90 percent. And having City Connects’ specifically tailored, individual plan has really made a huge difference for our kids, because if we don’t take care of their specific needs, their academics are going to be problematic.”

Addressing students’ needs and improving school climate means there’s more room for academic progress.

“Students’ participation in honors and AP classes have increased dramatically,” Warwick says, “and the biggest increase was among our minority students. In fact, in one of our schools, the biggest increase in participation was among minorities.

“That’s what happens when kids are doing well. That’s why we have to meet all their needs in order for them to thrive academically.”

When COVID-19 hit, it made this work much harder.

“When you look at the pandemic, the crisis families faced, the lack of socialization, entire families were in distress. But City Connects Coordinators provided services and supports and helped our counseling staff, and that was a lifeline for our families,” Warwick says.

“As we came back from the pandemic, we saw dysregulation and other challenges, and City Connects helped us address that.”

Warwick says a key strategy that coordinators used before and after the pandemic was essential.

“Building relationships is a big piece of everything. You have to have that trusted relationship, whether you’re a teacher, a counselor, or a City Connects coordinator. When you’re providing support, and the kids know that you care, that makes a difference. And when you’re connecting to families and building trust, those relationships make a huge difference.”

“Kids need access to this kind of support,” Warwick explains. “And if they don’t get it, they’ll face problems in every area.”

Looking at the big picture — including the positive outcomes in the data, teachers’ positive responses to City Connects, and the improvements in kids’ lives — and you see that, as Warwick says, Springfield’s kids “are going to thrive in an urban city with a high poverty rate because we are meeting their needs.”