A school-community-university partnership linking Boston Public Schools, community agencies, and Boston College to coordinate resources to serve over 3,000 elementary school students and families

Boston Connects recognizes that academic success in urban schools requires integrated and comprehensive student and family support to address needs from outside the classroom in order to improve educational outcomes. In response, this experimental model links the efforts and leverages the resources of its broad-based partners in a coordinated plan to deliver support and enrichment services to students both in school and in community. The initiative focuses on elementary schools within Cluster 5 and Cluster 2 of the Boston Public Schools system. Boston Connects serves more than 3,000 elementary school children annually, most of whom face considerable poverty and significant barriers to learning.

Based on the premise of a direct relationship between the effects of poverty and the likelihood of poor academic performance and behavioral problems, Boston Connects posits that addressing children's broader context and service needs will support students' in-school learning.