Reach your goals faster with Mainstay's research-backed approach
When it comes to your success, we don’t rely on luck. Mainstay has been putting in the work behind the scenes for nearly a decade to spark more engaging conversations, create the most impactful messages, and deliver positive results for our partners.
We partner with top researchers in education, psychology, behavioral science, and technology to develop our engagement model. Empathy, culture, and context enhance our messages at every milestone. These research-based techniques are proven to work — and we constantly adapt our approach to improve outcomes at every stage.
Our tight partnership with leading researchers sets us apart from typical chatbots. Ready to see the difference?
Backed by research. Proven to work.
Mainstay partners with leading experts in 6 key areas of research to ensure we’re making an impact:
Behavioral economics
Sociology of education
Mindset science
Assessment and policy
Emotional intelligence
Workforce impact
Mainstay’s trusted research partners:
Aashir Nasim
VCU
Jim Runcie
EdAdvance
Vikki Walker
EdAdvance
Katharine Meyer
Brookings Institute
Lindsay Page
Annenberg Institute
Marc Brackett
Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
Hunter Gehlbach
Johns Hopkins
Tim Renick
NISS at GSU
David Yeager
UT Austin
Mitchell Stevens
Pathways Lab at Stanford
Sara Nadel
Learning Collider
Evelyn Gosnel
Irrational Labs
In an experiment with Irrational Labs, we discovered that students who received texts from Mainstay that said applying for FAFSA is part of their enrollment process were 3X more likely to apply for aid.
Behavioral Economics
Behavior-based outreach that works
Mainstay’s platform design is built on the science of behavioral economics. To infuse the most up-to-date strategies into our work, we’ve partnered with Irrational Labs, a training and consulting organization founded by Dan Ariely of Duke University.
Irrational Labs trains Mainstay in techniques like nudge theory, choice architecture, impact bias, social norms, and more. We use this information to create a “roadmap” that identifies psychological barriers to action and reduces friction at key barrier points. From there, we tap into the psychology of decision-making to drive change at scale.
Mindset Science
Supporting growth and improving resilience
The way you think about yourself can have a huge impact on success. And the right mindset can lead to better performance, increased happiness and healthier habits. That’s why we work with leading experts in mindset science — like Dr. David Yeager, a renowned developmental psychologist whose work focuses on understanding the factors that shape adolescent development.
By partnering with Dr. Yeager and other experts in mindset science, Mainstay is able to develop effective, customized programs that help people develop a growth mindset, build resilience, and achieve their goals.
Emotional Intelligence
Connecting with people on their own terms
People make decisions based on their emotions. Unless we establish an emotional connection, nudges and reminders won’t drive meaningful change. Our partnership with Dr. Marc Brackett and the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence underpins our messages that resonate with people on an emotional level.
We draw upon Dr. Brackett’s groundbreaking studies on how emotions impact learning, decision-making, relationship quality, and mental health to drive action at key milestones. And through our work with The Partnership for Education Advancement, we ensure that the conversations we have with students are timely, meaningful, and relevant to them.
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See how Mainstay puts empathy and emotional intelligence into action
Sociology of Education
Insight built on collaboration and innovation
Mainstay continually seeks partnerships that bring unique perspectives and insights to our work. That’s why we are proud to partner with Dr. Mitchell Stevens, a Stanford professor and Organizational Sociologist with experience in educational sequences, lifelong learning, and alternative educational forms.
Dr. Stevens is currently leading a study with us in California, where we are working to test sentiment, adoption, and expansion of chatbot use on two college campuses. By tapping into his expertise in organizing knowledge, we ensure that Mainstay’s campaigns leverage the latest research and best practices.
Spotlight on Mainstay’s RCT partners:
Lindsay Page, Brown University
Dr. Lindsay Page is a quantitative methods expert who evaluates the effectiveness of educational policies and programs across all levels of education. Recently, much of her focus has been on large-scale RCTs that aim to combat the issue of "summer melt." Dr. Page has led many research studies that continue to shape Mainstay’s communications calendar and improve the effectiveness of our messages.
Hunter Gehlbach, Johns Hopkins University School of Education
Dr. Gehlbach is an esteemed partner in our RCT work, bringing his expertise as an educational psychologist and a passion for social psychology. He is focused on enhancing the social and motivational environments of schools, and is currently a Professor and Faculty Lead of the PhD program at the Johns Hopkins School of Education, as well as the Director of Research at Panorama Education.
Katharine Meyer, Brookings Institute
Dr. Meyer's research revolves around helping individuals make informed decisions about their postsecondary education opportunities. Her current work delves into supporting college retention and completion through virtual advising, analyzing the impact of school counselors on college access, and designing effective state financial aid programs. Mainstay has had the privilege of collaborating with Katherine on several crucial research studies.
Impact Assessment and Policy
The science of success
At Mainstay, we’re committed to making a positive impact on students and employees — and the only way to do that is by knowing what works, what doesn’t, and why.
That’s why Mainstay partners with institutions across the country to conduct Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) that study the impact and efficacy of our messages.
With the help of our research partners, we conduct rigorous and valuable research that provides insights into the impact and effectiveness of our messages — helping us continually improve outcomes for students and employees.
Insights from our latest research studies
Randomized Controlled Trials continually demonstrate how Mainstay’s timely, personalized support increases the likelihood that students will succeed — in and out of the classroom.
Workforce Impact
Lighting the path to opportunity
Mainstay is committed to expanding opportunities for young people. We support this mission by partnering with experts like Dr. Sarah Nadel, COO of The Learning Collider — a collaborative research lab dedicated to building equitable workplaces and career pathways through tech-driven research and data.
By leveraging Dr. Nadel’s expertise and The Learning Collider’s research, Mainstay can design more effective solutions that promote equity and access and address the challenges young people face in accessing workforce opportunities.
Breaking through student success barriers
There’s a reason Georgia State University has had over 500 campuses come to look at their student success programs: when schools want to make a real difference, they look to innovative leaders in the field.
Dr. Tim Renick is one of those leaders. As Executive Director of The National Institute for Student Success (NISS), he has partnered with colleges and universities across the country to help them identify their own institutionally created barriers to student success and introduce evidence-based methods of removing those barriers.
Mainstay partners with Tim Renick and NISS to identify and understand institutional-created barriers to completion and implement large-scale, data-based interventions to support positive student outcomes.
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Redesigning Universities for More Equitable Outcomes
“The lessons learned by Georgia State are transferable. While American higher education was not designed to produce equitable outcomes, we now have the power to redesign our campuses to provide timely, individualized support to all students. As Georgia State University has shown over the past decade, the results can be transformative.”
– Dr. Tim Renick, Executive Director NISS, EdScoop
The SPARK behind Mainstay’s impactful outcomes
Emotions are a powerful force in decision-making. That’s why nudges alone don’t work. Mainstay’s messages connect with people and guide them through their options, instead of just telling them what to do. And we ensure we’re making an impact by gathering direct feedback from learners and evolving our approach over time.
The key behind it all is our proprietary SPARK engagement framework:
Meaningful interactions happen when people feel accepted and acknowledged. Mainstay’s platform is designed to guide learners to answers, reply with an empathetic response and build the trust needed to help them take advantage of the resources available.
Help learners avoid obstacles before they occur. Mainstay enables you to take the pulse of community needs and reach out proactively — and at scale — to those who need a little extra guidance.
Our messages highlight the recipient’s strengths and capabilities — while offering alternatives they may not have considered. The result? A deeper sense of belonging and greater resilience.
Mainstay’s framework empowers learners to see challenges from a different perspective and find opportunities where they previously only saw barriers.
Jargon can be confusing. Mainstay’s platform uses accessible language — ensuring every message is clear, concise, and relevant to the person’s needs right now.
Proven solutions that drive real results
When you want to achieve your most ambitious goals, you need an approach built on rigorous, ongoing research and backed by real-world outcomes. That’s why over 225 institutions partner with Mainstay.
Book a call with us today to learn more.
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A special thank you to the foundations that have helped fund Mainstay's ongoing research and development:
