Communities In Schools

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The Communities In Schools (CIS) is an American non-profit organization that works within public and charter schools to help at-risk students to stay in school and perform well

CIS works with schools in 25 states and the District of Columbia.

History[]

In February 2020, CIS announced that VIA Metropolitan Transit Board of Trustees chairman and former San Antonio City Councilman Rey Saldaña would become its new president and CEO.[1]

The model[]

CIS seeks to address the underlying reasons why young students drop out of school.[2] Whether students need eyeglasses, tutoring, nutritious food, or just a safe place to be, CIS works to find the resources and deliver them to young people inside schools. CIS meets both simple needs such as getting kids vaccinated to meet school attendance requirements as well as more complex needs like helping young people find alternatives to joining gangs.[3]

CIS implements a community-based integrated student services strategy, leveraging community resources where they are most needed in schools. Community-based integrated student services are interventions that improve student achievement by connecting community resources with both the academic and social-service needs of students. Such interventions focus on programmatic energy, resources, and time on both school and student goals.

By the efforts of a single point of contact, individual student needs are assessed and research-based connections are made between students and targeted community resources.[4] Asset building resources such as health screenings, food and clothing, and assemblies on various topics, are made available to all students. Targeted and sustained intervention services are provided to the subset of students most in need, forming the basis of outcome-driven individual student plans. These students are assisted by tutors, mentors, after-school programs, academic support, and other evidence-based interventions designed to achieve specific outcomes.

CIS becomes involved at the invitation of the school or school district. The CIS model is adaptable to all communities— whether urban, rural, or suburban— and is tailored to meet the needs of the individual school and its students. The National Evaluation of Communities In Schools is being conducted to measure the impact and effectiveness of the Communities In Schools model. The core elements of the CIS model identified within the study and being measured are the following:

  • The presence of a CIS school-based, on-site coordinator;
  • A comprehensive school- and student-level needs assessment;
  • A community asset assessment and identification of potential partners;
  • Annual plans for school-level prevention and individual intervention strategies;
  • The delivery of appropriate combinations of widely accessible prevention services and resources for the entire school population, coupled with coordinated, targeted and sustained intervention services and resources for individual students with significant risk factors; and
  • Data collection and evaluation over time, with monitoring and modifications of services offered to individual students and/or the entire school population, as appropriate.[5]

National evaluation[]

Overview[]

In 2005, CIS was awarded a multiyear fourteen million dollar contract to evaluate its national network and programming.[6] ICF International,[7] was contracted to conduct the five-year longitudinal study titled the National Evaluation of Communities In Schools. The study was designed to determine the effectiveness of the CIS model. It is based on an in-depth analysis of 1,776 schools served by CIS, a comparative analysis of outcomes from more than 1,200 CIS served and non-CIS served comparison schools, and comparative analysis of CIS served students and non-CIS served students alongside in-depth case studies of students. The study was being conducted in three phases:

Results[]

  • Among dropout prevention programs using scientifically based evidence, the CIS model is one of a very few in the United States proven to keep students in school and is the only dropout prevention program in the nation with scientifically based evidence to prove that it increases graduation rates.
  • When implemented with high fidelity, the CIS model results in a higher percentage of students reaching proficiency in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math.
  • Effective implementation of the CIS model correlates more strongly with positive school-level outcomes (i.e., dropout and graduation rates, achievement, etc.) than does the uncoordinated provision of service alone, resulting in notable improvements of school level outcomes in the context of the CIS model.[5][8]

References[]

  1. ^ Ibañez, David (2020-02-18). "Rey Saldaña to lead national education nonprofit in Virginia". KSAT. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  2. ^ "Communities In Schools - Helping Kids Stay in School and Prepare for Life". March 11, 2009. Archived from the original on March 11, 2009.
  3. ^ Greg Schaler, "Empowering Students for a Lifetime of Success: Performance Learning Centers," Communities in Schools National Office,2007: p.4
  4. ^ "A National Educational Imperative: Support for Community-Based, Integrated Student Services in the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act," Communities In Schools national Office, 2007: p.1
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Communities In Schools and the Model of Integrated Student Services: A Proven Solution to America's Dropout Epidemic," Communities In Schools National Office, 2008, p.3-7,http://www.cisnet.org/about/NationalEvaluation/Normal.asp?Segment=5.0[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "Program Development, Management, and Evaluation Services to Foundations and Non-Profits," ICF International, p.2, "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-06-13. Retrieved 2008-10-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ Magazine, STEM. "STEM Magazine" Check |url= value (help). stem.
  8. ^ "National Evaluation: Student-Level Studies," Communities In Schools National Office, http://www.cisnet.org/about/NationalEvaluation/Normal.asp?Segment=3.0[permanent dead link]

Further reading[]

Freiberg, H.J. (1998). Measuring school climate: Let me count the ways. Educational Leadership, 56 (1). 22-26.

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