The challenge
Like many schools, AIS had advisory on the timetable but uneven practice inside it. Some advisors built strong relationships; others didn’t feel equipped to lead a meaningful 1:1 conversation — and asked for more training and support to do it well.
The hardest students to reach were often the ones who looked fine. As one teacher put it, students who seemed “positive and confident” on the outside could be “overwhelmed and needed support due to stress and workload” on the inside — easy to miss without a consistent signal from the student.
What they did
One connected approach, centered on the 1:1 conversation
“MARIO has inspired wonderful one-to-one conversations with students. Students are more willing to come talk to me because they know I see the data.”
Savannah, Head of Year — Atlanta International School
The results
Across MARIO schools, a NASEN-published study found the MARIO Approach had a Cohen’s d of 0.91, placing it in the top 5% of educational interventions.
“MARIO has created an authentic and organic SEL opportunity versus the ‘canned’ programs out there — an unexpected delight,” said counselor Lannie Cox.
“As a school counselor, I’ve been able to get to know more students on a deeper level and get them the support they need. MARIO has been an essential tool in my practice,” added counselor Kari.
And the students who used to be overlooked? Staff flagged one who looked confident but was privately overwhelmed — and were able to target support in time.