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.聽 Through school-based coordination, Communities In Schools connects students and their families to critical community resources, tailored to local needs.聽 What sets Communities In Schools apart is the coordinated, comprehensive range of services to achieve whole-child support. This is accomplished by placing site coordinators–many of them AmeriCorps members–inside schools to implement the Communities In Schools model of integrating student services by working with community partners and volunteers to marshal resources necessary to address the social and emotional needs of students who are at risk of dropping out of school.

Across Washington, communities benefit from a multitude of organizations working to help young people succeed. AmeriCorps members maximize the effectiveness of these groups by bringing community resources into the schools to address children鈥檚 unmet needs and providing the link between educators and the community. Communities In Schools helps kids overcome challenges both inside and outside the classroom so they can do their best in school.

By pairing critical, targeted assistance with relationship-based support, Communities In Schools accomplishes true whole-child support. Students perform significantly better in school and develop the confidence and self esteem they need to make a better future for themselves. Communities In Schools doesn鈥檛 just help young people; it helps young people transform.

AmeriCorps Plays a Key Role in Student Success

Equal parts compassion and expertise, AmeriCorps members serving as site coordinators work one-to-one with struggling students to get them what they need, when they need it.聽 Last year, Communities In Schools helped more than 46,000 Washington students achieve their goals.

Of the students who were referred for specific concerns:

• 98% of secondary students stayed in school
• 92% of seniors graduated
• 81% improved academic performance
• 71% improved attendance

Of all organizations working toward student achievement, only Communities In Schools is proven to decrease dropout rates, boost on-time graduation rates, and increase proficiencies in math and reading.
A version of this article originally appeared in the newsletter.

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