Communities In Schools

Communities In Schools (CIS) is a United States nonprofit organization and national network focused on reducing school dropout and improving outcomes for students who face academic, social, economic, family, health, or other barriers to education. Founded in 1977, the organization works through schools rather than operating solely as an external youth-services provider. Its model places CIS personnel and partner resources within public and charter schools, where they coordinate support around student needs and connect young people and families with community services. The organization’s work addresses practical and personal conditions that can interfere with attendance, engagement, learning, and graduation. Depending on the school and local network, support may include access to clothing and food, life-skills assistance, family engagement, mental-health services, and coordination with other community resources. CIS therefore combines school-based case management and relationship-building with broader schoolwide partnerships. Its stated objective is not simply to provide isolated services, but to organize them around students and schools in a coordinated framework. CIS operates as a federation or network of local organizations serving schools in 25 states and the District of Columbia. Local affiliates implement services in their communities, while the national organization supports the broader model, network, evaluation, and public profile. This structure enables the approach to be adapted to local conditions while retaining a common emphasis on integrated, school-based intervention. A significant turning point in the organization’s development was the commissioning of a national evaluation in 2005. ICF International was engaged to conduct a five-year longitudinal study examining the CIS model across a large network of schools. The evaluation analyzed 1,776 schools served by CIS, compared outcomes in more than 1,200 CIS and non-CIS comparison schools, examined CIS and non-CIS students, and included detailed student case studies. The research was designed to assess whether the organization’s coordinated model was associated with improved retention, graduation, achievement, and other school-level outcomes. CIS has used the evaluation findings to argue that its model has unusually strong evidence among dropout-prevention approaches. The organization reports that effective implementation is associated with improved school-level outcomes, including dropout and graduation rates, and with higher proportions of students reaching proficiency in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and mathematics. The published research associated with the evaluation also emphasizes that coordinated implementation of a school-based model can be more strongly related to positive outcomes than the uncoordinated delivery of individual services. In February 2020, CIS announced that Rey Saldaña, then chairman of the VIA Metropolitan Transit Board of Trustees and a former San Antonio City Council member, would become its president and chief executive officer. The appointment reflected the organization’s continuing emphasis on civic partnerships and cross-sector support for students. CIS remains an active United States education-support nonprofit whose principal offering is a coordinated network of school-based services rather than a commercial product.

Communities In Schools was established in the United States in 1977 as a nonprofit effort addressing educational dropout and the conditions that place students at risk of leaving school. Its central idea was to bring community resources into schools and coordinate them around students who needed support. Rather than treating dropout prevention as a narrow academic intervention, the organization developed a broader school-based approach that could respond to practical needs, family circumstances, emotional and mental-health concerns, and barriers to participation. Over time, CIS developed as a national network of local organizations working with public and charter schools. The network model allowed local affiliates to build partnerships suited to their communities while operating within a shared framework. Services described by the organization include clothing and food assistance, life-skills support, family engagement, mental-health services, and connections to community providers. These activities are intended to complement teaching and school administration by helping students access the conditions necessary for attendance, persistence, and learning. A major development in CIS’s history was the national evaluation launched in 2005. A $14 million contract supported a five-year longitudinal study conducted by ICF International. The study examined 1,776 CIS-served schools, compared outcomes in more than 1,200 CIS and non-CIS comparison schools, analyzed CIS and non-CIS students, and incorporated student case studies. Its purpose was to determine whether the organization’s model produced measurable effects and whether implementation quality mattered. CIS has interpreted the findings as evidence that its coordinated model can improve school-level outcomes, including dropout and graduation rates and, when implemented with high fidelity, fourth- and eighth-grade reading and mathematics proficiency. The research also supported the view that coordination and integration are important: delivering separate services without a common school-based framework may be less strongly associated with positive outcomes than implementing the CIS model as an integrated approach. The organization continued expanding its network across the United States, ultimately operating through affiliates in 25 states and the District of Columbia. In February 2020, it announced Rey Saldaña as its new president and CEO. Saldaña brought experience from civic and public-service roles, including chairing the VIA Metropolitan Transit Board of Trustees and serving as a San Antonio city council member. CIS remains an active nonprofit education-support network focused on helping students overcome barriers, remain in school, and graduate.

• 2020

  Rey Saldaña is announced as president and CEO

  [1]Communities In Schoolsen.wikipedia.org

  CIS announces the appointment of civic leader Rey Saldaña as president and chief executive officer.

• 2011

  Multiyear school-outcome research is published

  [1]Communities In Schoolsen.wikipedia.org

  Research on the CIS model examines high-school dropout and graduation outcomes using school-level quasi-experimental methods.

• 2005

  National evaluation is commissioned

  [1]Communities In Schoolsen.wikipedia.org

  CIS receives a $14 million contract for a five-year evaluation of its national network and programming, with ICF International conducting the study.

• 1977

  Communities In Schools is founded

  [1]Communities In Schoolsen.wikipedia.org

  The United States nonprofit organization is established to address educational dropout and support students facing barriers to staying in school.

A school-embedded, community-coordination model for helping students facing significant barriers stay engaged in education, graduate, and improve academic outcomes.

• Education support service · 1977

  School-based student support

  CIS places its work within public and charter schools and coordinates support around students who face barriers to attendance, engagement, learning, or graduation. The service is designed as an integrated school-based intervention rather than as a single standalone tutoring or counseling product.

• Student and family support

  Basic-needs assistance

  CIS-connected school programs may help students obtain essential items and resources, including clothing and food. These interventions address practical needs that can disrupt attendance and participation in school.

• Student development service

  Family engagement and life-skills support

  The network supports family engagement and provides or coordinates life-skills assistance. These services are intended to strengthen the relationships and capabilities surrounding students as they navigate school and other personal or family challenges.

• Student wellness service

  Mental-health support

  CIS school-based programming includes access to mental-health support and related community resources. The organization presents emotional and psychological wellbeing as part of the wider set of conditions that influence student persistence and academic success.

• Program evaluation · 2005

  National evaluation and research

  CIS has supported formal evaluation of its dropout-prevention model, including a large longitudinal study examining schools, students, implementation quality, and outcomes such as graduation, dropout, and academic proficiency.

• 2020

  Appointment of a new president and CEOOther

  Background

  CIS announced a leadership transition as it continued operating a nationwide network of school-based support organizations.

  Action taken

  The organization announced Rey Saldaña as president and chief executive officer.

  Source

• 2005

  Commissioning of a national effectiveness evaluationStrategy

  Background

  CIS sought systematic evidence about whether its school-based dropout-prevention model produced better outcomes than services delivered without an integrated framework.

  Action taken

  The organization funded a five-year longitudinal evaluation and engaged ICF International to study its national network, comparison schools, students, and implementation conditions.

  Aftermath

  The resulting research was used to support CIS’s position that coordinated, high-fidelity implementation is associated with improved dropout, graduation, and academic outcomes.

  Evaluation contract value. $14 million (2005)

  Source

1. 1Communities In Schoolsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Communities In Schools official websitecommunitiesinschools.org