Communities In Schools of Los Angeles, Inc.

Communities In Schools of Los Angeles (CISLA) exists to address access to quality education for low-income students in order to break the cycle of poverty. Our work focuses on increasing graduation rates for the most vulnerable students at our partner schools. We work to meet essential needs so each child can do what many take for granted every day – to come to school feeling safe, supported and ready to learn.

To live our mission, we serve students and their families from Los Angeles’ historically underserved neighborhoods of Boyle Heights, Pico-Union/Westlake, South LA, Watts, and areas of the Westside. Our students are among the 80%+ of LAUSD children and youth living in poverty. They are predominately Latinx (72%), African American (22%) and Dual/English language learners (37%).

CISLA recognizes that our students are impacted by the broader context of poverty in which they live and experience school. We work with many partners to serve students, providing diverse supports (academic, socio-emotional, basic necessities, health, etc.) to address the imbalances caused by systemic inequality and to ensure that every student has the opportunity to succeed. Committed to educating the Whole Child, CISLA has built school partnerships that develop social-emotional wellness, executive function and life skills necessary for learning. CISLA’s core philosophy is echoed in the Harvard Center on the Developing Child's findings on Resilience:

"The single most common factor for children who develop resilience is at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive parent, caregiver, or other adult. These relationships…build key capacities—such as the ability to plan, monitor, and regulate behavior—that enable children to respond adaptively to adversity and thrive."

As an independent affiliate of Communities In Schools (CIS), CISLA’s Integrated Student Supports Program is a nationally proven model that aligns with guiding principles of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Standards for School Social Work Services and California’s Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS) Framework.

Our three tiers of service are:

Tier 1: School-wide Services
We work with school leaders to identify schoolwide critical priorities and formalize interventions in a School Support Plan.

Tier 2: Targeted Group Programs
We lead community-responsive group programs to engage students and parents on issues impacting their education.

Tier 3: Individualized Case Management
We work with educators to identify vulnerable students, create Student Support Plans and serve as case managers for each student.

In this model, our youth development and social work professionals build trusted relationships with students via activities such as: academic, career and college support; mentoring and social-emotional, positive behavior and leadership workshops; Restorative Justice practices; and parent engagement.

A 2012 economic modeling study funded by Annie E. Casey Foundation, Edna McConnell Clark Foundation and Capital One found that each $1 invested in the CIS program in California returned $38.40 in public and private benefits.

Moreover, in 2021, the U.S. Dept of Education cited the CIS model as an example of effective supports for low-income students, “students of color, and other underserved students [who] faced non-academic barriers to achieving their full potential in the classroom.” (COVID-19 Handbook, Vol 2: Roadmap to Reopening Safely and Meeting All Students' Needs)

CISLA’s capabilities are rooted in our community-based teams and partnerships. CISLA ensures our teams are responsive to the cultural and linguistic needs of our students and families. CISLA School Site Directors and Coordinators are extensively trained social service professionals, with many holding advanced degrees in key fields such as Social Work, Counseling, Family Therapy, etc. and/or bringing years of experience in the education sector. Moreover, a majority come from the communities we serve or ones with similar demographics, bringing their own lived experiences to serving CISLA students and families (such as being first-generation college students, immigrants, etc.). CISLA provides on-going professional development training throughout the year on critical topics including: Trauma-informed Care; Equity and Inclusion; LGBTQ Community; Student Sub-populations Data Projects; and Self-care Practices. CISLA is a collaborator by design. We accomplish our work via a Master Service Agreement with LAUSD, enabling our teams to provide sustained support to students via long-term school partnerships. We partner with 70+ organizations across Los Angeles to meet the diverse needs of students.

Today, CISLA supports 12,500+ children and youth at 14 schools across Los Angeles, targeting 5-10% (~900) identified as most vulnerable for individual support. In the last four years, our graduation rates for case-managed students are consistently 95%+ (~20 points higher than LAUSD). This is significant, considering that 1) our caseloads target the highest need students in highest need schools and 2) research shows the pandemic more severely impacted high-needs students in the last two years.

In fall 2019, CISLA launched a K-12 feeder in Watts, just as school closures that next spring severely impacted this community. In fall 2020, we launched at two more elementary schools in a 100% remote setting.

When COVID hit, CISLA adapted our full program model to a virtual setting and rapidly expanded emergency relief efforts. Since March 2020, we have distributed ~$500,000 to the highest-need students and their families to stabilize homes.

And, when schools closed, students in the schools we served could not access their education because of historic underinvestment in broadband infrastructure in their neighborhoods. CISLA was one of the first organizations to raise the alarm with our partners. We have been working with nonprofit, district, city, county and state leaders to create new digital policies that work for our most underserved children.