Georgia-Based Nonprofits Announce Transformative Investment to Help Students Overcome Obstacles to Learning
The Communities In Schools of Georgia state office and independent affiliate Communities In Schools of Atlanta work to ensure every student, regardless of race, zip code, or history of marginalization has what they need to succeed in school and beyond. Today’s announcement is a part of an unprecedented gift from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott to the Communities In Schools Georgia Network and National Office.
In a time when the global pandemic has created unparalleled challenges for students and families, including experiences of social isolation, economic crisis, stress, and trauma, this investment will help both the CIS of Georgia state office and metro affiliate CIS of Atlanta build sustainable systems of support for the students and families that would otherwise be left behind. This investment in CISwill help students overcome obstacles to learning is tremendous fuel for impact, infrastructure, and the people working inside schools. However, it does not change the reality of the continued work ahead, and the public and private partnership that must remain true.
“We are filled with gratitude for this investment in the work of Communities In Schools, which will allow us to grow our mission of surrounding students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. These funds will support expansion plans, secure needed staff, and further strengthen the CIS Georgia Network,” said Carol Lewis, state director and CEO of Communities In Schools of Georgia, which currently serves more than 72,000 students in 144 schools throughout the state.
Celebrating 50 years of service, founding affiliate CIS of Atlanta has demonstrated measurable success in student outcomes. As we serve 41,000 students in 62 metro area schools in Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton, and Atlanta Public Schools, this transformative investment will further enhance and amplify the organization’s programmatic footprint.
“On behalf of CIS of Atlanta, we are extremely grateful for this generous unrestricted gift from MacKenzie Scott. We will use these precious financial resources to invest in expansion of college and career readiness programming for our students, preparing them to fully participate in the American Dream as homeowners, voters, taxpayers, and contributing members of society. We will also provide much-needed salary increases to combat rising inflationary costs and provide professional development opportunities for our most valuable assets, our staff members,” said Frank Brown, Esq., CEO of Communities In Schools of Atlanta.
In the 2020-2021 school year, 98 percent of students K- 11 served by the CIS of Georgia Network were promoted to the next grade, and 92 percent of seniors graduated.
In the same academic school year, 99 percent of CIS of Atlanta’s case managed students stayed in school, and 97 percent were promoted to the next grade or graduated.
CIS believes that transformative relationships are key to unlocking a student’s potential. Our school-based staff works inside schools in partnership with teachers and parents to help address the non-academic needs of students CIS coordinates with schools and local service providers to meet the needs of students and families, as well as providing critical resources such as food, housing, healthcare, counseling, access to remote technology, and more so that students (and educators) can focus on academics. By identifying the points of challenge for students in their personal lives, CIS staff helps to empower students to move beyond the barriers they face in the school building and in the community.
“Today is an important day for students who are underserved, under-resourced, and in need of supports to build a brighter future,” saidRey Saldaña, President and CEO of Communities In Schools. “This unrestricted gift allows us to combat the inequities in public education and reimagine the way schools operate and show up for all students. Our national goal is to bring our model inside of every one of the 70,000 Title I-eligible schools in the country; currently, we operate in 3,000 schools – so we still have a long way to go, and we will need ongoing support to get there.”
Article courtesy of Metro Atlanta CEO, published February 8, 2022.