CSS helps schools become places where students want to be.
At Center for Supportive Schools, we leverage resources in schools to create equity-centered, caring, and vibrant learning communities that foster students’ overall success and well-being and that deeply engage students, staff, and families.
Schools deserve supportive partners who can help:
Address the critical transitions into middle and high school, especially for highly vulnerable youth
Leverage the power of student leadership and peer mentoring to help students navigate the stresses of middle and high school
Develop supportive school cultures to foster the social, emotional, physical, and mental health of students
Deeply support and engage faculty and staff
Equip schools to leverage internal, existing resources for long-term, sustainable impact
CSS partners with schools
in three ways
Supporting
Students
through evidence-based peer leadership and mentoring programs.
Supporting School
Faculty & Staff
through transformative, innovative, and interactive professional development.
Supporting Entire School Communities
through data-informed, relationship-driven, and equity-centered whole school initiatives.
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![A person icon]()
"Peers are the greatest influence in an adolescent’s life. As a peer leader, I was able to help my peers deal with the challenges of high school. That experience ignited my passion for education. As a PGC advisor, I love watching my PGC students support their peers and seeing the incredible impact the PGC experience can have on young people."
– Jada Davis
Former Peer Leader, Current Teacher and PGC Faculty Advisor, The SEED School of Washington, DC -
![Matthew Mazzaroppi, Superintendent, NYC Schools, Headshot]()
"PGC is the single most transformational initiative we have implemented in our school. The training facilitated by CSS for this program was the best training I have been to as an educator. Not only did I learn, practice, and internalize several of the skills needed to make the program successful, but I also found that it relit my passion to walk into the everyday wind a principal faces for the sake of empowering students."
– Matthew Mazzaroppi
Former Principal, Morris Academy for Collaborative Studies and Current Deputy Superintendent, NYC Schools -
![A person icon]()
"Providing our student population with instruction from their own peers is a very effective way of reaching students. From my perspective, as a parent and district administrator, I was most appreciative of learning how to talk to and reach teens from the perspective of teens. I will take what I learned from our Teen PEP students into my own home, too."
– Dr. Kristin P. O'Neil
Lindenwold Public School District Superintendent -
![Maurice J. Elias, Ph.D., Director, Rutgers Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab, headshot]()
“CSS is among the national leaders in developing resources within schools and communities. CSS brings out the leadership in everyone, and has proven methods for building skills and effectiveness. There is no organization that I admire more, or trust more, than CSS when it comes to working with the social-emotional needs of schools, parents, and youth.”
– Maurice J. Elias, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology at Rutgers University
Director, Rutgers Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab (www.SECDLab.org)
Co-Director, Academy for Social-Emotional Learning in Schools (SELinSchools.org, sel.rutgers.edu, @SELinSchools)
See Our Work
in Action
Hear directly from some of the incredible students and educators at CSS partner schools. This video will provide an overview of our work, including Peer Group Connection, teacher professional development, and community schools.
Video compilation of interviews with NYC school students, teachers, and leadership about the positive impact of working with the Center for Supportive Schools.
How it works
1. Schedule an Exploratory Call
Meet with one of our program experts to explore together how we can partner to best serve your school community.
2. Prepare for Implementation
Your dedicated CSS program manager will expertly guide you through every step of program implementation.
3. Focus on Your Community
With the support of CSS's facilitation and technical assistance team, your program will be launched and managed and you'll be able to focus your passion--the growth and well-being of your school community's students, families, and faculty.
4. Ensure long-term sustainability
CSS models are fully integrated into the fabric of the school day and become institutionalized and lasting components of the school experience.
Our Impact
Through rigorous evaluations by research organizations, universities, and independent evaluators, results show CSS solutions consistently improve students’ academic, social, and emotional skills, including:
Increased high school graduation rates
Improved academic achievement, attendance, and school behavior
Improved social and emotional skills
Increased school and peer connectedness
Avoidance of high-risk behaviors
Positive changes in decision-making
45 years of
supporting schools
We are driven by the vision that one day, all children will thrive in schools that graduate them prepared for the rigors of college and lives filled with meaningful work, active citizenship, and personal fulfillment.
Founded in 1979, CSS has a successful track record, spanning over four decades, of changing life trajectories for students and effecting cultural transformations within schools.
Nationally, CSS is one of a very few organizations with a focus on social and emotional learning that can demonstrate significant academic impact on students, educators, and schools.
Learn more about how to partner with us
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