Communities In Schools of Greater Central Texas, Inc.

The goal of CIS is to help students who demonstrate early warning signs for dropping out of school to improve in academics, attendance, and/or behavior; and ultimately to stay in school and graduate.

It is our goal to remove the barriers that keep students from focusing on learning, thereby keeping them in school and assisting them through graduation.

By the end of each school year, CIS expects to meet or exceed the following outcomes:
85% of case managed students will improve in their academics, behavior, and/or attendance
95% of case managed students will stay in school
95% of case managed students will be promoted
90% of case managed students will graduate
95% of students and their families will receive valuable social services

It is the goal of CIS to impact the community in the short-term by providing needed academic assistance to at-risk students and connecting struggling families to valuable social service resources available in the community. This will allow the students to stay in school and pass their core classes. Additionally, students are encouraged to participate in public service activities and will be provided with many opportunities to connect more with their local community – from volunteer jobs, mentoring programs and outreach efforts, students can experience for themselves the value they can both bring to, and receive from, community involvement.

The community will be impacted long-term as these youth earn high school diplomas and move on to bigger and better things, whether that is enrolling in college, a trade school, or obtaining a good job. Our long-term goal is to have these youth become productive and contributing members of society. This outcome will only result in stronger and more vibrant communities in our future.

To accomplish our long term goals, we will employ the following strategies:

Goal 1: Increase student achievement and decrease dropout rates
a) Provide case management and service delivery utilizing the following Six Components:
1) Supportive Guidance and Counseling (including educational, financial, and life skills)
2) Academic Support (including tutoring and extended learning time)
3) Parent and Family Engagement (including home visits and consultation)
4) Enrichment Activities (including mentoring)
5) Health and Human Services Coordination (including mental health and basic needs)
6) College/Career Awareness
b) Expand services
c) Cultivate relationships with current and potential school districts
d) Continue to provide high quality training for our staff to more effectively reach and serve at-risk youth

Goal 2: Enhance collaboration between agencies/resources to best serve our students and their families
a) Network with untapped community resources to generate needed support and partnerships
b) Increase program awareness utilizing local media to highlight program successes and statistical data

Goal 3: Improve financial stability of the program
a) Pursue grant funding from private and public sources, organizations and agencies
b) Increase number of committed long-term funding sources
c) Increase financial reserve to prepare for unexpected challenges
d) Recruit and maintain influential and community-connected board members

We believe this combination of strategies and approaches will benefit our target population in that it will enhance the quality, awareness, and stability of our program, all of which are necessary to accomplish our strategic goals.

The CIS Model incorporates the three CIS Core Values - personalism, accountability, and coordination to ensure program integrity and consistency.

Internal Resources
• Experienced, professional, skilled, dedicated and talented staff
• In-depth training provided to all staff on all program policies and procedures
• Board of Directors who are passionate about our program’s mission and the children we serve
• Total Quality Systems (TQS) Certified – system established by CIS National to strengthen CIS programs, ensure network-wide accountability and to sustain high functioning organizations that positively impact the lives of students
• Governance by CIS State Office and the Texas Education Agency (TEA)
• GAAP - system of internal control procedures based on generally accepted accounting practices
• Annual audit conducted for fiscal accountability

External Strengths
• CIS contracts with school districts to provide holistic and comprehensive services to meet students’ needs
• CIS coordinates and collaborates with social service agencies and the community to address student and campus needs (Central Texas Food Bank, free clinics, vision and dental services, help centers, homeless shelters, health and mental health agencies, counseling and mentoring agencies)
•Service Clubs - Monetary and material donations (Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, Altrusa, and Exchange Clubs)
•Faith Partners - supply needed clothes, food and temporary shelter for families in need
•Individual Partners - donate school supplies or make an individual monetary contribution
• CIS Angel Fund - Utility assistance, school supplies, clothing, medical prescriptions, coats, shoes, etc.
• Committed, long-term funding sources who know and appreciate the value of CIS
• The Communities In Schools program is legislated in the Texas Education Code and receives some legislative-appropriated funding

These internal and external resources have been invaluable assets in helping us accomplish our goals.

Campuses Served: 54
Total Contracted TEA Case‐managed Students to Serve: 6,108
Total Actual TEA Case‐managed Students (CMS) Served: 6,193

% of CMS Targeted for ACADEMICS: 68.5%
% of CMS Targeted for ACADEMICS who Improved: 89.5%
% of CMS Targeted for BEHAVIOR: 73.3%
% of CMS Targeted for BEHAVIOR who Improved: 70.2%
% of CMS Targeted for ATTENDANCE: 22.7%
% of CMS Targeted for ATTENDANCE who Improved: 60.6%
% of CMS who were PROMOTED: 95.1%
% of Eligible CMS who GRADUATED: 97.9%
% of CMS who STAYED IN SCHOOL: 100.0%