Communities in Schools North Carolina

WHAT is Communities In Schools (CIS)?

CIS brings hands in need together with hands that can help. CIS is a process that connects community resources with students and their families at schools and other community sites to ensure that youth stay in school, learn needed skills, and are prepared to enter the world of work or post secondary education upon graduation.

WHY do we need CIS?

Too many young people are failing in our public schools today, and consequently, leave school without the skills needed to succeed in life. During the 2005-2006 school year, 20,000+ students dropped out of North Carolina's public schools. 47% of prison inmates in North Carolina are school dropouts. Schools alone cannot solve the complex and diverse problems faced by today's youth.

HOW does CIS work?

CIS supports the development of collaborative community strategies for improving the way existing programs and services serve students and families. Students' school failure is the result of multiple stresses, most often from factors outside of school. The CIS process enlists, coordinates and facilitates the delivery of already existing community resources to the school site. Within a school, CIS works with repositioned services providers (from many agencies and organizations) and school personnel so that they function together as a team to deliver their services in a personable and accountable manner. In this way, they effectively and efficiently meet the needs of students and their families.

WHO initiates CIS in a community?

Communities invite a state CIS representative to present CIS strategies to community leaders. Interested communities then identify a "local liaison" who continues to introduce CIS concepts while soliciting input and support from community stakeholders. During this process, the local liaison is guided by a steering committee and community leaders. The introductory process adapts the CIS strategy to meet local needs and leads to the formation of a permanent governance structure. The CIS state office trains and works with the local liaison and serves as a continuous resource to the steering committee.