History

History of Communities In Schools

In the 1960s, on the streets of New York City, youth worker Bill Milliken and his colleagues launched a series of nontraditional "street academies," with backing from major corporations like Union Carbideand American Express. Young people who had already dropped out of school were able to return, complete their education and, in most cases, go on to college.

The Early Years

In 1977, Milliken and his colleagues decided to work inside the school system, and Communities In Schools (then called Cities In Schools) was born. The idea was to develop a safety net so underserved youth could get the assistance they needed to stay in school. The CIS founders realized that troubled young people and their families had difficulty negotiating their way through the maze of public and private services, all located in different places and following different rules. They decided to bring these community resources inside a public school building, where they are accessible, coordinated and accountable.

The fledgling organization started out strong, as newly elected President Jimmy Carter, a supporter of the CIS prototype during his term as Georgia governor, identified federal funds to support CIS' expansion. Soon CIS was serving nearly 3,000 students in three cities: Atlanta, Indianapolis and New York.

Changes Along the Way

Between 1977 and 1983, local CIS efforts were funded by the CIS national organization. As the CIS movement continued to expand, it became clear that true community-building required local ownership and funding sources. Each community needed to assess its own problems and strengths and craft individual solutions. Thus, from then on, it was determined that every CIS affiliate would be independently incorporated, with the CIS national office providing training, support and the basic model.

CIS' results have remained solid over the years. Students in increasing numbers have turned their lives around and chosen to stay in school and graduate. CIS' cost-effective method of rallying the community to deliver existing services at the school site became a model for school-community collaboration. Every presidential administration since the Carter administration in 1977 has provided support to CIS - including the innovative, 10-year "Partnership Plan" among the departments of Justice, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education that began in 1985.

Coming of Age

By the mid-1990s, it was clear that the CIS methods were adaptable and successful wherever there were schools and students in need. To reflect this reality, and to acknowledge that at its core the organization is devoted to creating community, Cities In Schools changed its name to Communities In Schools in 1996.

Today CIS is widely known as the pioneer of the "community school" concept - a vision of schools as vital centers for the entire community, and a delivery point for services and resources that would otherwise be scattered far and wide, uncoordinated and unaccountable. CIS has grown to become the nation's leading stay-in-school network, the largest and most effective coordinated response to the burgeoning dropout crisis. Worth magazine named CIS one of the "top 100 nonprofits most likely to save the world" in both 2001 and 2002. Worth's criteria for selection (out of a field of 819,000 registered U.S. charities) were "skill, innovation, effectiveness and strategic insight."

In November 2007, CIS celebrated 30 years of serving children. During a national conference that featured a keynote address by First Lady Laura Bush, the entire CIS network came together in its birthplace, Atlanta, Ga., to commemorate this significant milestone.

CIS In New Orleans

CIS of New Orleans was founded in 1996. Prior to Hurricane's Katrina and Rita in 2005, CIS primarily served students in one public school at a time. Efforts were underway to expand into more of New Orleans' 128 public schools when the hurricanes and subsequent flooding devastated the community and almost totally wiped out the public school system.

Through its powerful partnerships with local, national and international individuals, agencies and corporations, CIS quickly reestablished itself and began coordinating services again as schools reopened. In the 2009-2010 school year, CIS is serving 6 public schools with fulltime site coordinators, connecting services to almost 1200 students using intervention strategies and 5000 students using prevention strategies. CIS is working with Renew Charter Management Organization to prepare for the 2010-2011 school year when they will begin managing Laurel and Live Oak Elementary Schools.