The Social and Financial Benefits of Legal-Educational Services: Findings from an Evaluation of CJII’s Medical Legal Partnership
By Brandon Martinez, Research Associate, Sara Carrión, Policy Associate, Zarrin Mahmud, Intern, and Grace Amato, Intern
New evaluation findings about one Medical Legal Partnership have revealed a positive return-on-investment for students and families. Beyond the financial benefits of the program, investing in families also has long-term social benefits that could be even more valuable. Ensuring that students in New York have equitable access to special education services and accommodations is thus beneficial financially and socially.
Families of students with disabilities often struggle to secure the educational services they need for their children to succeed, due in part to the complex landscape of legal rights and administrative processes of New York City’s Department of Education. A return-on-investment analysis of one Medical Legal Partnership (MLP) has found that providing legal-educational services to families has significant economic benefits for families that far outweigh the costs.
The MLP, a partnership between the Legal Aid Society (LAS) and Mt. Sinai Morningside’s Child and Family Institute (CFI), connected the clinic’s families, all of whom had children with special education needs, with legal advocates that helped them secure special education services they may have previously been unaware of or unable to afford. According to findings from a recently completed evaluation of the program, the value of achieving educational milestones (e.g., obtaining private evaluation, receiving compensatory education services) and accessing special educational legal services far exceeded the costs of providing those services, with the average return on investment ranging between 27 percent and 819 percent, depending on the analysis.
The Financial Return-On-Investment of the MLP
The American Institutes for Research’s (AIR) return-on-investment analysis calculated and compared the monetary costs and benefits associated with each of the MLP’s services. The evaluation used two approaches to calculate the costs and benefits of the program based on the educational milestones pursued and achieved by families (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Educational Services Pursued and Achieved Through the MLP (%) (N=313)
The evaluation found that both analysis approaches (summarized in Table 1) determined that the program had a positive return on investment. Based on Approach 1, the program had an average 819 percent return on investment, with an average per-student cost of $1,641 and per-student benefit of $15,088. Findings from Approach 2 showed that the program had an average 27 percent return on investment, with an average per-student cost of $7,363 and per-student benefit of $9,366.
Table 1. Analytic Approaches to Calculating MLP Return-on-Investment
Both approaches likely underestimate the full benefits actually accrued due to program services and supports that were not captured in this analysis, as well as the longer-term benefits to families and communities. For example, MLP staff provided service referrals, general information-sharing, and specialized support during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that was not accounted for. Moreover, because the focus of the study was on the immediate financial value of MLP’s services and the educational supports, the study did not account for the potential long-term benefits for youth and their families, which we explore more below. With all that said, it is still worth noting that even using the most conservative estimates, the MLP provided a positive return on investment for families and communities.
The Importance of Investing in Families: Beyond the Financial Costs and Benefits
For students, families, and communities, the immediate financial benefits of participating in the MLP are only part of its impact. When MLP staff helped secure an individualized educational plan (IEP) for students, or assisted a family with a hearing, families could breathe a sigh of relief knowing that someone experienced was in their corner. Participating in the MLP also meant that parents and guardians didn’t need to take time off from work to ensure their children received adequate educational support. Given that 77 percent of participating MLP families earn less than $40,000 a year, absences from work could have had further consequences such as losing employment or not being able to afford necessities.
In addition to providing educational-legal services, the MLP also taught families about their educational rights, giving them the knowledge and confidence to advocate for themselves. As a result, parents were better prepared to navigate future issues that might arise regarding their children's education. Families also learned from one another as they cultivated social networks with other families participating in the MLP.
the positive impacts on educational outcomes, in turn, are shown to positively affect students’ employment, health, and criminal legal outcomes.
The MLP’s services likely have long-term impacts on students in at least three ways. First, ensuring that students receive adequate educational services that also strengthen family ties—such as fostering stronger emotional connections and improved communication—further benefits their educational attainment.[1] Second, the positive impacts on educational outcomes, in turn, are shown to positively affect students’ employment, health, and criminal legal outcomes.[2] Students who receive an educational experience that acknowledges their disabilities and includes supports and instruction tailored to those disabilities also experience fewer disciplinary infractions. For more information on the relationships between educational support and disciplinary action and the school-to-prison pipeline, see AIR’s policy brief. Finally, because of the MLP’s strategic colocation of services at CFI—which provides services to children with psychiatric conditions and developmental or learning disabilities— students’ mental health needs could be supported and improved through interactions with CFI staff. Supporting the cognitive and socioemotional needs of students improves their prosocial interactions, strengthens families, and encourages positive educational outcomes.[3]
About the Program and Evaluation
The MLP program evaluation was conducted by the American Institutes for Research. The program was implemented by the Legal Aid Society (LAS) and Mt. Sinai Morningside’s Child and Family Institute (CFI). Both the program and evaluation were funded through the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII) of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
About the CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance (ISLG) and the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII)
The CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance manages the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII). ISLG provides technical assistance, conducts oversight, measures performance, and manages all CJII grantees.
The CJII focuses on three investment areas—crime prevention, reentry and diversion, and supports for survivors of crime. The MLP Program is funded through the Family and Youth Development initiative, whose goal is to provide supports to families that address risk factors associated with increased chances of youth becoming involved in the criminal legal system. This initiative is part of the CJII’s crime prevention-focused investments in Youth, Families, and Communities.
[1] Ou, Suh-Ruu. "Pathways of long-term effects of an early intervention program on educational attainment: Findings from the Chicago longitudinal study." Journal of applied developmental psychology 26.5 (2005): 578-611.
[2] Levin, H. (2005(. The Social Costs of Inadequate Education. Summary of first annual Teachers College Symposium on Educational Equity. Campaign for Educational Equity. Teachers College, Columbia University.
Belfield, C. & Levin, H. (Eds.). (2007). The Price We Pay: Economic and Social Consequences of Inadequate Education. Brookings Institution Press.
[3] Greenberg, M. T., Weissberg, R. P., O’Brien, M. U., Zins, J. E., Fredericks, L., Resnik, H., & Elias, M. J. (2003). Enhancing school-based prevention and youth development through coordinated social, emotional, and academic learning. American Psychologist, 58(6-7), 466–474. doi:10.1037/0003-066x.58.6-7.466
Photo by MIA Studio on Adobe Stock.