For more than 30 years, Communities In Schools has been working on solutions to America’s dropout problem – through community-based, integrated student services. These services are interventions aimed at improving student achievement by connecting community resources with both the academic and social-service needs of students.Our nation’s dropout crisis is a complex issue, and requires an understanding of the underlying reasons why kids are leaving school without a high school diploma. In a country of such vast wealth, we have large numbers of students who face incredible environmental hurdles every day – poverty, unstable or disengaged family situations, neighborhoods that are unsafe – putting them at high risk of dropping out. Communities In Schools addresses these underlying risk factors, bringing community resources directly to the students who need them the most. At CIS, we believe that children can and should have access to what they need to succeed in school and in life, whether it’s academic support through tutoring and after-school enrichment programs; social support through mentoring and family strengthening activities; or other essential human services, such as nutritious meals and health-care services for students who would otherwise go without.
Keywords: Dropout prevention, Communities In Schools