Communities In Schools of NC Calls for Increased Involvement to Fight State’s Dropout Crisis

Communities In Schools of NC (CISNC) is urging the business community and individual volunteers to get more involved in dropout prevention programs like CISNC. The call to action comes after The State Department of Public Instruction released a study this week on North Carolina’s dropout rate. The study reported that 23,550 students (5.24 percent) of NC students in grades nine through twelve dropped out of school during the 2006-07 school year. CISNC is all too familiar with the dropout crisis that continues to grow in NC; the organization has earned its place as the nation’s leading community-based organization helping kids succeed in school.

“When numbers like these are reported in the news, they capture the attention of our citizens, and, for a period of time, they are incensed that not enough is being done,” said Mike Stephens, Executive VP and COO for CISNC. “However, they need to remain concerned about this very important crisis our state faces.

“Communities In Schools has been addressing the dropout problem for over 20 years in our state. Our network has grown and expanded to 39 local affiliates in 2008 by connecting community resources with the students who need them,” Stephens continued. “During the 2006-2007 school year, over 112,000 students in 57 counties were served. Of those students involved with Communities In Schools, 93 percent were promoted and/or graduated and less than three percent of our high school students dropped out. The latter percentage is more than 2 percent better than the dropout rate of the entire general school population in our state.”

“CIS does not reinvent the wheel,” added Linda Harrill, President and CEO of CISNC. “The mission of our organization is to connect needed community resources with schools and other sites to help young people successfully learn, stay in school, and prepare for life. We work holistically with the student and his or her family by bringing to the school site the resources already present in the community that are necessary to help each student overcome whatever is preventing successful school work. These barriers could be anything from needing a pair of eyeglasses in order to see the chalk board, a mentor to lend advice or a tutor for a school subject they really need help with.”

CIS has a long-term, proven track record but currently only serves a little over half the counties in North Carolina. The goal is to serve a greater number of counties and to increase the capacity to reach more students who need help in those counties that CIS already serves. It takes additional dollars and additional volunteers. To learn more about how to volunteer with a current local affiliate or how to get involved with bringing a CIS affiliate to your county, visit www.cisnc.org or contact your local representative and ask them to support Communities In Schools of North Carolina.

For more information call (919) 832-2700.