Case study · Atlanta International School

Data-informed relationships, at scale

How AIS structured advisory around what students actually share — turning insight into stronger relationships.

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[ School-approved photo — Atlanta International School ]
Atlanta International School campus
Representative campus image. Swap for an approved AIS photo before publish.

“As a principal, being able to have data-informed conversations with the pastoral team about the safety of our students is invaluable.”

Gary P., Principal — Atlanta International School

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See what Atlanta International School did — and what changed.

  • The challenge they started with
  • How they put MARIO into practice
  • The results, in their own words

🔒 We’ll only use this to follow up about MARIO. School-owned data, always.

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

1
Students check in — Regular check-ins and Personal Learning Plans gave every student a low-barrier way to share how they were really doing.
2
Teachers see what matters — Advisors and counselors could see student-shared data in real time, and look grade-wide at SEL trends to spot who needed support.
3
Professional learning builds the habit — Coaching and conversation structures helped advisors lead 1:1s with confidence, not improvisation.
4
Leaders see the patterns — Leadership gained a data-informed view of student safety and wellbeing to act on across the school.

“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

0.91
Cohen’s d across MARIO schools (NASEN) — top 5% of interventions
Real-time
advisors intervene before an event, not after
Grade-wide
SEL trends visible to personalize support

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.

Every school is different.
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