Communities In Schools of North Carolina has released new data from the 2012-13 school year showing it served more than 215,000 students across the state — the most the organization has served in its 25 year history.
Of the students served, nearly 96 percent were promoted to the next grade. Locally, Communities In Schools of Rowan County has served over 4,600 students.
“At CIS we are focused on surrounding students with the services and supports they need to be successful,” said Eric Hall, President and CEO of Communities In Schools of North Carolina. “The results being achieved in terms of student promotions and graduations tell us we are on the right track. Our next goal is to reach more students, in more communities, early in their school careers.”
Communities In Schools surrounds students with school-wide services such as violence prevention, basic needs services, combating truancy and providing academic supports to improve graduation rates. Additionally, local Communities In Schools staff works with school administrators to identify students in greatest need and provide specific and targeted interventions to increase success in school and life.
The report found that 95.6 percent of Communities In Schools students were promoted to the next grade statewide, while 94.2 percent of local students were promoted. Locally, more than 82 percent of enrolled students improved academically last school year.
Of the high school seniors involved in the program, 96.5 percent graduated across the state, while 98.1 percent of local seniors graduated. Across the state, 55 percent of those who graduated pursued a postsecondary education, 15 percent entered the workforce and 3 percent joined the military.
“We could not reach our lofty goals without the support of our school system, local funders, the community and our many volunteers,” stated Vicky Slusser, Executive Director of Communities In Schools of Rowan County.
Report findings were validated by a third-party review by RTI International and the complete report and quick facts showing the results are available at www.cisnc.org.
Local and statewide findings are further supported by a national report released by Child Trends last week. In the report, Integrated Student Services: The Evidence, Child Trends finds emerging evidence that integrated student supports, such as those provided through CIS, increase math proficiency in 4th graders, math and reading proficiency in 8th graders and reduces dropout potential. The Child Trends Report can be found at www.childtrends.org/ISSreport.