Communities In Schools Louis Moser Director of Field Operations Communities In Schools National
Our Mission The mission of Communities In Schools is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. 2
The Five Basics Communities In Schools believes that every child needs and deserves: A one-on-one relationship with a caring adult A safe place to learn and grow A healthy start and a healthy future A marketable skill to use upon graduation A chance to give back to peers and community 3
How CIS Works CIS Builds Partnerships Positive Student Outcomes Human Services School Site CIS coordinates delivery of needed resources and services in the schools + + Improved Behavior =
Our Network 181 local affiliates serving 25 states and the District of Columbia More than 3400 schools and education sites Nearly 1.3 million students received direct services through Communities In Schools 13 CIS state offices serve over 80% of the entire CIS network CIS national office provides operational and financial assistance to the CIS network 5
Evidence-Based Results Independent, third-party evaluation showed the following results when following the CIS Model with fidelity: CIS is one of few dropout prevention organizations with scientific evidence of effectiveness CIS is proven to decrease dropout rates CIS is proven to increase graduation rates 6
CIS Evaluation Results A third-party longitudinal evaluation of Communities In Schools proved that: Communities In Schools' model resulted in the strongest reduction in dropout rates of any existing fully scaled dropout prevention program that has been evaluated Communities In Schools is unique in having an effect on both reducing dropout rates and increasing graduation rates The Communities In Schools model is effective across states, school settings, grade levels and student ethnicities The more fully and carefully the model is implemented, the stronger the effects 7
Evidence-Based Results Results of high-implementing CIS sites versus comparable schools over a four-year period showed these statistically significant findings: 3.6% reduction in dropout rate 4.8% increase in graduation rate 5.2% more students reached proficiency in 4 th grade math 6% more students reached proficiency in 8 th grade math 2.3% more students reached proficiency in 4 th grade reading 5.2% more students reached proficiency in 8 th grade reading 8
Project TEEN, Austin, TX
Effective Senior Center Visits Best if idea to visit comes from the students Be sure students know what to expect Give students specific projects to do Discuss plans with center management Program ideas: Holiday celebrations Student performances (i.e., caroling from door to door; short skits; talent show) Bring student art as gifts Service projects (i.e., repairs to facility; cleaning) Veteran recognition activity Presentation of a gift to center Debrief with students after the visit Make visits an ongoing student project
Foster Grandparents, NE Florida
RSVP Volunteers, Kalamazoo, MI
Keys to Volunteer Program Success Have a volunteer coordinator Develops written plan for volunteer program (goals, objectives, etc.) Based on needs at school sites Develop a volunteer job description Well-defined tasks that are easy to implement Include start/end dates Initiate volunteer recruitment and screening process Advertising, interviewing, screening, background checks Conduct orientation and training Overview of organization and for specific program activity Supportive supervision, tracking and monitoring Ensure that all volunteers feel like valued part of the organization Ensure volunteer recognition All volunteers require some type of recognition 13
For more information Louis Moser, Director of Field Operations Communities In Schools 2345 Crystal Dr., Suite 801 Arlington, VA 22202 Phone: (703) 518-2543 Email: MoserL@cisnet.org Website: www.communitiesinschools.org 14
Thank you!