Communities in Schools of Eastern Pennsylvania

Integrated student supports:integrated student supports (iss) is a shorthand for how we bring together the different kinds of resources, relationships, and services that students and their families need to come to school ready to learn. Our evidence-based model places site coordinators directly in each of our Schools, where they form trusting relationships with students, diminishing the nonacademic barriers that keep kids from succeeding in school. Site coordinators offer support at three different levels: school-wide, small-group, and one-on-one. Site coordinators work together with students, family members, teachers, and guidance counselors to help students set goals to improve academics, behavior, and/or attendance. The model of iss follows a continued cycle of assessment, planning, support, monitoring, and evaluation:1. Needs assessment: site coordinator analyzes multiple sources of data to identify key needs of school and individual students.2. Planning: site coordinators lead their support team in developing a site plan that prioritizes supports for academic and non-academic needs.3. Integrated students supports: site coordinator and partners deliver support to school, students, and families through three different tiers. Tier i supports target school-wide goals (tier i example: clothing drive, family engagement night). Tier ii supports target small groups of at-risk students who share a common need (tier ii example: tutoring, grief counseling group). Tier iii supports target a smaller population of referred, high-need students who receive intensive one-on-one case-management. 4. Monitoring and adjusting: site coordinator continuously monitors student and school progress and adjusts supports to optimize results.5. Evaluation: site coordinator continues assessment of partners and student supports to demonstrate results and improve practice.

General youth services:cis provides intensive afterschool programming to students in four Schools that serve as 21st century community learning centers. These programs serve students four days per week for three hours each day, and they target low income students with documented academic needs. A program manager at these sites leads teams of teachers, support staff, and community partners in coordinating and delivering academic assistance and enrichment programming in the after-school hours. Students receive free afternoon snacks and dinners with transportation home after programs if needed. During the summer, students attend programs and weekly field trips for academic enrichment at no cost to them. The allentown reengagement center (arec) is a collaborative initiative in the city of allentown that targets 16-24 year-olds who have dropped out of high school. Cis recognizes that students who have already dropped out of school are also at risk for life-altering setbacks without a high school diploma. Through consistent outreach, our arec staff empower young adults to re-enroll in a school learning pathway (in classroom or online) toward their high school diploma or ged. Since the program's inception in 2015, the arec has reengaged more than 500 former high school dropouts, while over 200 of these students have graduated with their high school diploma or ged.

Community schools:cis has served as a founding partner in the community school work in the lehigh valley since 2006. Cis serves as lead partner at 13 community Schools in the lehigh valley in partnership with united way of the greater lehigh valley. A community school is both a physical place and a network of partnerships among school, family, and community. The community school model is an innovative strategy designed to open the doors of a school in a way that transforms the school into a central hub for learning, family engagement, and community impact. Through its integrated focus on academics, health, social services, and family - paired with a foundation of resources and programs provided by community partners - the community school model empowers all stakeholders in the shared school community to bring about total school transformation. With this strategy for school and community wide engagement also comes a critical focus on accountability and measurement. Most important to the community school model is its data-driven programs, decisions, and strategies.community school coordinators leverage relationships and resources that connect students and families to engagement events and various forms of support. Coordinators also connect school leadership, volunteers, community partners, and parents in ways that guide positive change and buy-in from all stakeholders. The community school vision as a whole focuses on programs that target chronic absenteeism and low reading proficiency.