Communities In Schools

Dropout Crisis• Every nine seconds, a young person drops

out of school. • Equates to more than 1 million per year

• In Georgia, it is more than 20,000

• Half of all students of color fail to graduate on time

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Why are kids dropping out of high school?

No single reason. Experts say kids not reading on grade level by third grade are in the dropout pipeline.

Other factors include:

• Disengaged from the learning process, bored, excessive absences

• Failure to earn sufficient credits

• Retention

• Poor grades and test scores

• Student mobility

• Lack of parental support

• Excessive absences

• Disruptive behavior

• Teen pregnancy3

Why should you be concerned about dropouts?

• Taxes increase to support unemployed and under-employed citizens

• Health and social services are more expensive

• Costs for crime prevention and incarceration increase

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Communities In Schools Network

We are a federation of over 200 nonprofit organizations in 25 States and the District of Columbia

Since 1977, we’ve grown from serving 100 students in Atlanta to serving 1.3 million students annually

We’re in 3,400 public schools (K-12) in urban, suburban and rural communities

96% of our students are on free and reduced priced lunch

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1.3 Million Kids

National Office

12 State Offices

181 Local Offices

Communities In Schools Network

4600 staff (2100 site coordinators)15,000 partners57,000 volunteers – 2.5 m service hrs 472 school district partnerships3400 public school sites$240 million in annual network revenueBBB’s Wise Giving Seal High rating from Charity Navigator

Elementary School

43%

Middle School

26%

High School23%

Combined School

2%

Alternative Sites6%

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Communities In Schools Network

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Communities In Schools Presence by Rural, Suburban & Urban

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How does CIS work?

Intentionality: CIS is able to help students make progress relative to their peers during difficult transition periods (from elementary to middle school, from middle school to high school).

Continuity: Sustained engagement in CIS case-managed services (over consecutive years) results in consistently positive outcomes for students.

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The Communities In Schools model reduces dropout rates

The model is:

• Proven

• Cost-effective

• Adaptable

• Focused on the neediest children

• Scalable and in demand

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The Innovative and ProvenCIS Model

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Why the Communities In Schools model is successful

• A research organization, ICF International, conducted an independent evaluation and concluded that CIS is the only dropout prevention program in the nation with research to prove it increases graduation rates.

• The evaluation compared results of over 1,600 studies screened by the Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse.

• When implemented with high fidelity, the CIS model results in higher percentages of students reaching proficiency in 4th & 8th grade reading & math.

• Last school year nearly two-thirds of the students with a history of academic failure improved.

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Presence of a Site Coordinator: Even within unstable school environments, CIS site coordinators are able to stabilize students and help them achieve positive outcomes.

Strong Business Practices and Support: The implementation of sound business practices and the delivery of needed support across the CIS network translate into stable and sustained delivery of integrated student support services – and better student outcomes.

It is Cost-Effective: The average cost for a year is $700 to support a student who receives sustained case-managed services.

Why the Communities In Schools model is successful

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Top Levelexperimental

studies

Mid Levelquasi-experimental study

natural variation studycase studies

Base Levelsecondary data analyses of existing descriptive data about the Network

Fewer Sites

More Rigor

Simplified model of the CIS National Evaluation Design

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How the Communities In Schools Model saves money

In Georgia:

• CIS programs raise more than $20 for every dollar in state funds, a figure state performance auditors found to be a “significant return on investment.”

• More than 5,000 volunteers and assistance from community partners help CIS serve more than 140,000 students and their families at 300 school and community-based sites.

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Who benefits from the Communities In Schools Model?

• All school settings, grade levels and student ethnicities; and the more fully and carefully the model is implemented, the stronger the effects.

• School leaders who want to focus on the neediest students and the lowest performing schools with the most vulnerable students within each school.

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Economic Model – High Leverage

Paid staff leverage 17 times their number in volunteers and partners, which has enabled CIS to remain extraordinarily cost-efficient.

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Key Communities In Schools of Georgia statewide initiatives

College Access

CIS of Georgia Family Resource Center

• College Access initiatives provides local affiliates with collaborative approaches to increase the number of high school students who enter college, particularly students who have not considered post-secondary education.

• For parents seeking assistance in becoming effective in their child’s education, the center provides education on early-childhood learning and support for parents of school-aged children.

• PLCs are geared towards high school students who are not succeeding in the traditional school setting. They create a professional learning environment and emphasize personal support and an intense academic program.

AmeriCorps Reading Tutorial Program

• The mission of this program is to tutor low-achieving elementary school students and improve their reading comprehension, vocabulary recognition and basic writing skills.

Performance Learning Centers®

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Key Communities In Schools of Georgia statewide initiatives

AmeriCorps VISTA

Student Achievement Month

• Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA) assists in the development, expansion and sustainability of anti-poverty programming, which supports high-risk youth.

• The annual contest provides an opportunity for students to win prizes and scholarships and it also helps them set and achieve goals, understand the importance of staying in school and assume responsibility.

• The partnership develops and implements a statewide mentoring process that provides support and guidance to mentoring programs.

Dine Out For Kids®

• DOFK is an awareness and fundraising event that provides an opportunity for restaurateurs and sponsors to support at-risk students by donating a portion of the profits on a specified date.

Georgia Mentoring Partnership

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Thank you!

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