By Ron Turbyfill

Executive Director of CIS Rowan

Salisbury – Today, Communities In Schools of Rowan County (CIS Rowan) released new data from the 2015-16 school year showing 92 percent of students served are promoted to the next grade despite high levels of poverty and other significant barriers to success. This impact is attributable to individualized integrated student supports or wraparound services provided to students in seven schools here in our community.

CIS uses a proven model of student success, combining research- and evidence-based practices with regularly checking in and connecting with students, ensuring school attendance, improving behavior, closing gaps on coursework and engaging parents. Starting early, CIS is equipping students with the tools they need to succeed in the classroom — and in life.

“CIS students are our future,” said Dr. Ron Turbyfill, executive director of Communities In Schools of Rowan County. “Our Student Support Specialists work daily to meet the needs of students in the vital areas or attendance, behavior and classwork. They do this by marshaling the support of hundreds of community volunteers who tutor and mentor daily.”

That community of support extends to the homes of students.

“We reach out to their families to make education truly a partnership between the school and home,” he said. “That’s our mission, to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.”

CIS results:

• CIS serves students in Kindergarten through eighth grades, in seven schools.
• 92 percent of students served by Communities In Schools were promoted to the next grade.
• Among students receiving targeted intensive supports:
  • 67 percent met attendance goals.
  • 82 percent met behavior goals
  • 93 percent met coursework goals.

Last year, 2,956 Rowan-County students were supported by school-wide programs, in addition to the 354 receiving targeted, intensive supports and services. School-based CIS staff create unique plans to meet each student where they are and help them reach their full potential, including increasing attendance, improving behavior and enhancing coursework — indicators of student success as identified by research from Johns Hopkins University. CIS also collaborates with parents and families to ensure the long-term success of each child served.

“CIS doesn’t just address academic barriers, but they help the whole child,” said Laura Knapp, principal investigator for RTI International, CIS’s third-party data validation partner. “In addition to providing high-quality services to students, CIS N.C. collects valuable data that allows us to measure and document student success in key areas such as attendance, behavior and academics.”

Communities in Schools of Rowan County is a proud member agency of United Way of Rowan County.