Our mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.
Communities In Schools offers a solution to the dropout problem. In partnership with public schools, we bring resources and volunteers in to help struggling students get back on track.
EQUITY FOR EVERY STUDENT
Our purpose is to provide support for marginalized students by addressing inequalities in our society.
Students need a caring community that helps them achieve their goals in life. For this to happen, inequalities must be addressed. The Communities In Schools of Washington network exists to build on student strengths and overcome barriers through advocacy, partnerships and one-on-one social/emotional support.
COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES
Many of the young people we serve are facing challenges both inside and outside the classroom. What sets Communities In Schools apart is the way we coordinate a variety of services supporting the needs of these students. This allows them to come to school ready to learn and succeed.
The model we use to provide these services places a Communities In Schools site coordinator in a school to assess needs, make a plan, and coordinate services for the kids at risk for dropping out. In doing this, we also provide services geared to the entire school.
The site coordinator works with local partners such as social service agencies, health care providers and volunteers to connect students with needed resources.
- One-on-one support helps individual students overcome barriers to success at school.
- School-wide offerings like bully prevention assemblies and after-school enrichment meet broad student needs.
PROVEN EFFECTIVE
For every $1 invested in CIS, $11.60 comes back to the community
- Locally, we track outcomes against rigorous total quality standards. Nationally, independent studies confirm that Communities In Schools offers a cost-effective, evidence-based model for dropout prevention.
- An economic impact study found that for every $1 invested in our successful model, $11.60 is returned to the community. Read the EMSI study here (PDF)
- A five-year evaluation showed that of all organizations working toward student achievement, only Communities In Schools is proven to decrease dropout rates AND boost on-time graduation rates. Read the CIS evaluation here (PDF)
- Child Trends, a national research organization, affirmed the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of integrated student supports programs like Communities In Schools in improving education outcomes. Read the Child Trends report here (PDF)