Communities In Schools Of Georgia Inc

THE MISSION OF COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS IS TO SURROUND STUDENTS WITH A COMMUNITY OF SUPPORT, EMPOWERING THEM TO STAY IN SCHOOL AND ACHIEVE IN LIFE

COMPREHENSIVE STUDENT DROPOUT PREVENTION INITIATIVE - DOE - COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS OF GEORGIA RECEIVES FUNDING THROUGH THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO PROVIDE DROPOUT PREVENTION SUPPORT TO YOUTH IN GRADES K-12 THROUGH OUR NETWORK OF LOCAL CIS AFFILIATE ORGANIZATIONS. DURING FY2021, COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS OF GEORGIA PROVIDED TRAINING AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO 26 LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS AFFILIATE AND SUBSIDIARY PROGRAMS AND CIS SITE COORDINATORS AT 148 SCHOOL- AND COMMUNITY-BASED SITES THROUGHOUT THE STATE FOR THE PURPOSE OF ENHANCING AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS AND IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR THE SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS THEY SERVE. CIS OF GEORGIA PROVIDED SUPPORT TO AFFILIATES IN DEVELOPMENT OF BEST PRACTICE PROGRAMS AND PROVIDED TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO AFFILIATES IN THE AREAS OF NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT, BOARD DEVELOPMENT, RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS, AND EVALUATION. IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, CIS OF GEORGIA HELD ALL OF OUR TRAININGS AND MUCH OF OUR TECHNICAL SUPPORT REMOTELY USING ZOOM. WE ALSO HAD TO TRAIN OUR AFFILIATES AND SITE STAFF IN CONDUCTING SERVICES DURING SCHOOL CLOSURES. IN TOTAL, CIS OF GEORGIA STAFF RECORDED 1,021 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING CONTACTS. THIS WORK INCLUDED 24 SITE VISITS AND 307 MORE FORMAL SUPPORT SERVICES TAKING PLACE THROUGH EVENTS, FORMAL TRAININGS, MEETINGS, AND WEBINARS. DURING FY2021, OUR LOCAL AFFILIATES AND SITE STAFF WERE IMPACTED BY THE PANDEMIC AS MANY OF OUR AFFILIATES HAD PARTIAL OR FULL-YEAR SCHOOL CLOSURE. AS SCHOOLS REOPENED IN AUGUST, SCHOOLS NEEDED CIS ASSISTANCE IN HELPING STUDENTS TO NAVIGATE AND FULLY PARTICIPATE IN REMOTE LEARNING. SITE COORDINATORS SUPPORTED STUDENTS WHO RETURNED TO THE CLASSROOM AS WELL AS REMOTE LEARNERS AT HOME. STUDENT AND FAMILY NEEDS WERE GREATER IN THE PANDEMIC AND MORE TIME INTENSIVE TO ADDRESS, WITH SITE COORDINATORS PROVIDING FOR BASIC NEEDS OF STUDENTS AND FAMILIES AND SEEING TO THE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING OF STUDENTS. WITHIN THE SCHOOLS, SOCIAL DISTANCING PROTOCOLS AND REMOTE LEARNING DID IMPACT THE ABILITY TO HOLD LARGE WHOLE-SCHOOL EVENTS. DESPITE THE CHALLENGES OF THE PANDEMIC, LOCAL CIS AFFILIATES PROVIDED SERVICES TO A TOTAL OF 72,709 GEORGIA STUDENTS (UNDUPLICATED) AT 148 SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY-BASED SITES, INCLUDING PROVIDING INTENSIVE SUSTAINED SERVICES TO 4,637 AT-RISK STUDENTS IN NEED OF ON-GOING SUPPORT, AND WHOLE-SCHOOL PREVENTION SERVICES AND SHORT-TERM INTERVENTION SERVICES TO 70,906 STUDENTS. AFFILIATES HELPED 28,797 PARENTS BECOME MORE INVOLVED IN LOCAL SCHOOLS THROUGH PARENT ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES, AND PROVIDED OVER 24,000 HOURS OF COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER SUPPORT TO SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS THROUGH 1,436 COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS AND AN ADDITIONAL 16,500 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER TUTORIAL SERVICES FROM CIS OF GEORGIA AMERICORPS VOLUNTEER MEMBERS. DURING FY2021, CIS AFFILIATES ACHIEVED THE FOLLOWING RESULTS FOR THE AT-RISK STUDENTS THEY SERVED: 66.8% OF STUDENTS WITH ATTENDANCE PROBLEMS IMPROVED THEIR ATTENDANCE; 81.1% OF STUDENTS WITH DISCIPLINARY PROBLEMS IMPROVED THEIR BEHAVIOR; 99.0% OF AT-RISK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS WERE PROMOTED; 98.0% OF AT-RISK MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS WERE PROMOTED; 96.2% OF AT-RISK HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS STAYED IN SCHOOL OR GRADUATED; 394 CIS CASE MANAGED STUDENTS GRADUATED.

THE COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS OF GEORGIA AMERICORPS FOUNDATIONS TUTORIAL PROGRAM SUPPORTS THE CIS MISSION TO HELP STUDENTS STAY IN SCHOOL AND GRADUATE. THE CIS AMERICORPS PROGRAM TARGETS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CASELOAD STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT READING AT GRADE LEVEL SO THEY CAN IMPROVE THEIR ACADEMIC SKILLS, ADVANCE TO THE NEXT GRADE LEVEL, AND GRADUATE. CIS OF GEORGIA PLACED 21 AMERICORPS MEMBERS WERE PLACE IN 8 CIS COMMUNITIES TO PROVIDE TUTORIAL SERVICES TO HELP STUDENTS BUILD THEIR SKILLS IN READING. OUR SERVICE GOAL WAS TO REACH AT LEAST 440 STUDENTS WITH TUTORIAL SERVICES. THE AMERICORPS MEMBERS EXCEEDED THE GOAL, PROVIDING TUTORIAL SUPPORT TO 445 STUDENTS DURING THE 2020-21 SCHOOL YEAR. THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC PROVIDED NEW CHALLENGES FOR OUR AMERICORPS PROGRAM, INCLUDING EXTENDED SCHOOL CLOSURES AND SOCIAL DISTANCING. MANY OF OUR SCHOOLS WERE CLOSED FOR AT LEAST PART OF THE YEAR. AMERICORPS MEMBERS PROVIDED TUTORING REMOTELY FOR SOME STUDENTS WHILE SCHOOL WAS CLOSED. IN ADDITION TO ONE-ON-ONE TUTORING, AMERICORPS MEMBERS WORKED WITH STUDENTS WHO NEEDED EXTRA ACADEMIC SUPPORT BY PROVIDING TUTORING TO SMALL GROUPS. IN ADDITION TO TUTORIAL SERVICES, MEMBERS WERE OFFERED AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE THEIR SERVICE AND CREATE ALTERNATIVE SERVICE PLANS THAT INCLUDED ACCEPTABLE SERVICE ACTIVITIES THAT WOULD KEEP THEM SAFE DURING TIMES WHEN SOCIAL DISTANCING AND SCHOOL CLOSURE INTERRUPTED OR LIMITED TUTORIAL SERVICES. DURING THESE PERIODS, AMERICORPS MEMBERS PROVIDED SERVICES IN THEIR COMMUNITIES INCLUDING ASSISTING WITH FOOD SERVICES AND DISTRIBUTIONS, KEEPING CONTACT WITH STUDENTS AND DELIVERING TUTORING PACKETS TO THEIR HOMES, HOLDING STORY TIME OBSERVING SOCIAL DISTANCING, AMONG OTHERS. FOR STUDENT OUTCOMES, OUR GOAL WAS FOR 75% OF STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE AMERICORPS TUTORIAL PROGRAM TO SHOW OVERALL ACADEMIC IMPROVEMENT AND BE PROMOTED TO THE NEXT GRADE LEVEL. OVERALL, 97.4% OF STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE AMERICORPS TUTORIAL PROGRAM WERE PROMOTED TO THE NEXT GRADE AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. WITH REGARD TO ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, 79.6 % OF STUDENTS IMPROVED THEIR AVERAGE IN ACADEMIC COURSEWORK.