CISPAC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CISPAC STAFF

We are pleased to announce that for two straight years CIS was chosen by Worth magazine as one of the 100 BEST CHARITIES in America.

OUR MISSION

To champion the connection of needed community resources with schools to help young people successfully learn, stay in school, and prepare for life.

WHO WE ARE

Communities In Schools (CIS) is the nation's largest stay-in-school network. Headquartered in Virginia, the network consists of nearly 200 local CIS operations serving 3,000 educational sites in 28 states. For two years in a row, Communities In Schools has been ranked by Worth Magazine as one of the 100 best charities in the nation. Since 1977, CIS has been forming partnerships that address the needs of students and their families.

HISTORY

CIS has had a local presence in Allegheny County since 1985, becoming independently incorporated in 1995 as Communities In Schools Of Pittsburgh-Allegheny County. To date, the local CIS organization has delivered services to over 45,000 students.

WHAT WE DO

At heart, CIS is a dropout prevention organization. In Pittsburgh, CIS leads the way in creating and managing school/community partnerships that meet students' academic and social needs. Our fundamental model, the CIS Coordinator, positioned full time at the school site, identifies community resources and services, connects these services to the school, students, and their families, manages the delivery of the services, and monitors student participation and progress. The Coordinator, working with the whole school and/or a designated, educationally at-risk student population, assures that services are delivered in a personal, accountable, and well-coordinated manner.

In 1999 CIS launched the Communities In Schools Academy, a non-traditional school for educationally at-risk students who have either dropped out of school or who are at high-risk of dropping out of school. Now in three locations, the Academies serve students from area school districts, offering a stay-in school program for students likely to leave school and a dropout retrieval program for young adults who wish to return to earn their high school diploma. Workforce development and service learning are key components of the Academies.

CIS also initiates special initiatives that support student success. One such initiative, the CIS/Bridges Connections Program, strengthens cognitive abilities and perceptual skills - skills essential for learning. Through participation in the CIS/Bridges "Brain Gym" students engage in exercises that build one learning aptitude at a time resulting in better learners. CIS also runs after school programming that integrates academics with fun activities to help students learn and succeed in school.