1. How is Communities In Schools different from other programs that help kids prepare for life?
2. What makes CIS the "leading" organization in its field?
3. How is CIS different from other school-community partnerships? Do we really need CIS if we already have community involvement in schools (with a coordinator of services, community voice in school planning, local education fund, etc.)?
4. Would CIS-brokered services be available to the entire student body, regardless of income? And how can CIS work with agency that only targets consumers in lower-income brackets?
5. Exactly what sorts of services do CIS programs broker?
6. Are there start-up costs involved in developing CIS in local schools?
7. How is CIS funded?
8. How does the CIS process overcome political divisions and "turf" issues?
9. How is the exchange of confidential information between agencies, schools and CIS handled?
10. Is a new 501 (c)(3) nonprofit necessary to develop CIS? Could CIS be developed within the framework of an existing nonprofit?
11. What is the involvement of CIS National as sites proceed to establish CIS? Is final "approval" needed from CIS National?
12. What are the other benefits of belonging to the CIS network?
13. What data does CIS have to show the effectiveness of the CIS process?
14. Can I volunteer with CIS?

Communities In Schools is the nation's leading community-based organization helping kids prepare for life. CIS is distinguished by our results, our philosophy, our model and our advocacy.

Our Results: When it comes to helping kids, CIS has a track record with a focus on results. We provide access to services for 2 million young people on an annual basis.

• We celebrate student success: increased graduation and stay-in-school rates; increased attendance; better academic performance.
• We are the largest stay-in-school network in America.
• We form effective partnerships, and create unique programs with companies like Morgan Stanley, Univision, Families and Schools Together (FAST), and Verizon.
• We have nearly 30 years of experience with programs and activities in 28 states.

Our Philosophy: CIS believes that every child needs and deserves:

• A personal, one-on-one relationship with a caring adult;
• A safe place to learn and grow;
• A healthy start and a healthy future;
• A marketable skill to use upon graduation, and
• A chance to give back to peers and community.

Our Process: CIS is a community-builder delivering resources to kids.

• We partner with families, schools, and community leaders to create a support system for students.
• We utilize a committed field staff to customize, develop and facilitate effective local programs.
• We successfully garner support from businesses, organizations and government, social service providers and volunteer groups.
• We work in partnership with public schools - principals, superintendents, teachers and administrators.

Our Advocacy: Founder Bill Milliken and the CIS network are influential advocates for children in need. We support:

• Bridging the digital divide.
• Obtaining a high school education as a necessary part of preparing for life.
• Providing marketable skills for youth.
• Kids are the "solution" not the "problem".

:: top of page ::

What makes CIS the "leading" organization in its field?

We are not aware of another organization with a similar mission (helping young people successfully learn, stay in school and prepare for life) that reaches such a large number, schools and communities, and has an equivalent history of experience and success.

:: top of page ::

How is CIS different from other school-community partnerships? Do we really need CIS if we already have community involvement in schools (with a coordinator of services, community voice in school planning, local education fund, etc.)?

Viewing student success as everybody's responsibility, CIS is not a school initiative but a community-school collaboration. As a community-wide organization, CIS has a greater capacity to leverage community resources into schools and to serve as a neutral coordinator of he relationship between service providers and schools than a school-based organization may have.

While many communities have formed local partnerships with the public schools, often their mission may be quite different (e.g., to promote public schools or advocate for school reform), and their work may include little or no service connection. In other communities, a school-community partnership may be considering "best practices" on how to work together for the benefit of youth. In either case, the CIS process may be a valuable complement to or outgrowth of the community's efforts.

Where a local collaborative already exists with a mission and operation similar to CIS, affiliation with the CIS network may be considered.

:: top of page ::

Would CIS-brokered services be available to the entire student body, regardless of income? And how can CIS work with an agency that only targets consumers in lower-income brackets?

Yes, if the community has adopted a comprehensive CIS approach. With a comprehensive or whole-school strategy, appropriate services are made available to any and all students, based on need for those services. Some communities have CIS "academies" or "case management" strategies that generally affect smaller populations of at-risk students. Agencies which must restrict services based on income can still be utilized to provide programs for eligible youth; other providers are sought for non-eligible students.

:: top of page ::

Exactly what sorts of services do CIS programs broker?

Each year, CIS, Inc. publishes a Network Report that contains programs and services, along with many other facts about the CIS Network. In the 1999 Network Report, 17 categories of services were documented, with mentoring/tutoring, academic support, prevention of risky behaviors, and special events being the most widely brokered by CIS local programs.

:: top of page ::

Are there start-up costs involved in developing CIS in local schools?

Under a comprehensive approach, there need be no out-of-pocket cost to individual schools to implement CIS. The school assigns CIS site-coordination duties to an existing school employee (e.g., assistant principal or school counselor). This individual works with and is trained by the CIS local staff to prioritize students' needs, schedule services and maintain appropriate records; that staff person assumes these tasks in addition to their other duties.

A community's short-term investment in establishing a local CIS initiative consists of primarily a local liaison, who may be paid or a volunteer, who might be temporarily released from othe duties by a local collaborator or is perhaps a retiree. Assuming donated office space and administrative support, other costs of development are regular meetings of the local steering committee and travel to CIS training.

The cost to a community of sustaining a CIS collaboration varies from minimal to modest. Many local CIS operations begin - and maintain - their staffing levels with a single executive director and an administrative assistant. Salaries and benefits vary depending on community standards; office rent and supplies may often be in-kind contributions; typical budgets also include travel, insurance and other miscellaneous costs. Larger CIS operations may require more staff, at a ratio of about one additional agency/school coordinator for every 8-10 schools added. In either case, the CIS process leverages services worth many times the CIS budget into the local schools.

:: top of page ::

How is CIS funded?

CIS, Inc., a national 501(c)(3), is privately and publicly funded through a variety of corporate, foundation and federal grants. At the local level, CIS operations generally seek a similar mix of private and public-sector funding sources. Ensuring ongoing financial support for the CIS partnership should be addressed openly by community collaborators prior to CIS implementation, in order to not compete for funding directed towards local service provision.

:: top of page ::

How does the CIS process overcome political divisions and "turf" issues?

Collaboration must be "win-win". The process of developing CIS engages community leaders to work in new ways toward a shared vision. It works when all key players feel ownership for its successes and deficiencies. The process allows collaborators to carry out their various programs and missions in response to the vision, with the CIS collaboration acting as a neutral facilitator and broker of whatever resources participants bring to the table.

:: top of page ::

How is the exchange of confidential information between agencies, schools and CIS handled?

Schools and agencies involved make these decisions and have it written out in the school-agency Collaborative Agreement. Generally, schools refer students to services based on their own records without releasing those records to the agencies. Likewise, agencies maintain their policy on their confidentiality when working with individual students, while sharing aggregate information on services rendered and outcomes achieved. In the comprehensive approach, CIS asks for both schools and agencies to furnish aggregate statistics on numbers of students served, services provided, and any general evaluation and outcome data.

:: top of page ::

Is a new 501 (c)(3) nonprofit necessary to develop CIS? Could CIS be developed within the framework of an existing nonprofit?

According to the experience of the CIS network, it is strongly suggested that a separate nonprofit devoted solely to the CIS mission be created. Choosing to "umbrella" the CIS initiative under a programmatic organization can distort the perception of CIS as a neutral brokering process, limiting its effectiveness.

:: top of page ::

What is the involvement of CIS National as sites proceed to establish CIS? Is final "approval" needed from CIS National?

One of the benefits of joining the CIS Network is access to training and technical assistance of CIS Inc. CIS-WA field staff are available to assist communities in the development of their local CIS initiative at any point in the process.

Of course, because CIS does not charge fees or dues, travel and training slots may be limited to those communities most interested and in need of particular assistance. CIS national training and tech assistance will be utilized most often by a community's "local-liaison" the point person in developing CIS - and later by an executive director and board.

When a community is ready to incorporate their local CIS and implement the CIS process, CIS Inc. will review an operational status checklist and sign a letter of agreement with the local organization. The local CIS remains an autonomous entity, guided completely by local leadership. The only approval exercised by CIS national concerns the use of the name CIS.

:: top of page ::

What are the other benefits of belonging to the CIS network?

Encompassing a network of over 150 local CIS operations and affiliates, CIS provides local partnerships and the opportunity to connect with school-community efforts nationwide, learning from best practices.

CIS offers national and regional training and conferences, plus on-site training tailored to local needs. Technical assistance is available through ongoing relationships with state offices and regional Field Support Centers, along with online resources.

Among the possible enhancements to local efforts are regular news updates and information about the opportunities (such as effective programs or federal grants) the CIS Global Networked Campus and information management tools, relationships with prominent national CIS partners (including America's Promise, Cisco Systems, and HUD); and whenever possible, access to pass-through funds and participation in special projects and research.

The process of CIS Quality and Standards review is helpful for local communities in both refining their programs and communication their successes.

Finally, the increasing recognition of CIS by funders and federal agencies may be valuable to communities wishing to associate their partnership with a known leader in the stay-in-school movement.

:: top of page ::

What data does CIS have to show the effectiveness of the CIS process?

As the nation's oldest and largest stay-in-school network, CIS has an impressive track record. Typical outcomes achieved by local CIS programs are increased attendance, promotion and graduation rates; improved GPA's; and reduced incidences of discipline and dropouts for students served. Moreover, new studies to evaluate the complicated issue of CIS programs outcomes are under way.

:: top of page ::

Can I volunteer with CIS?

Absolutely! Dedicated community volunteers are the bedrock of a successful CIS program. Potential volunteers can call their local programs with their interests, abilities and time constraints, and an appropriate activity will be worked out.

:: top of page ::