Communities In Schools (CIS) of Sangamon County

 

Communities In Schools (CIS) of Sangamon County, Inc. is an organization that works to bring human resources from the surrounding community together with individual schools to "fill the gaps" where services and programs are needed. Our objective is to bring together the people who can help children be successful in school and in life by meeting social, emotional and health needs. With a human resources safety net in place right in the school, teachers are able to focus upon teaching and students are ready to learn. Essentially the school becomes a hub in the community, creating a stronger learning environment where everyone benefits – and all at no cost to the schools.Public relations for private schools is very important to make sure they have proper enrollment and can attract the best teachers and professors to their schools.

There is another important reason to have community goodwill programs for private schools and that is the fact that many teachers unions will figure out ways to just ruin the credibility of a private school. What kind of public relations can private schools do? Well they can do all sorts of things including hosting spelling bees at their school and invite other public schools and private schools to participate. This shows how great the private schools are to produce great spelling students even thought they have so few students to draw from. Whether they win or lose is not as important as the public relations and community goodwill that is achieved by a hosting the event. Another great public relations strategy for private schools is to host fundraisers, silent auctions and incorporate these with theatrical performances and other events which highlight the schools work and achievement by students. This brings the community into the private school to have a look and therefore will promote future enrollments and word-of-mouth advertising throughout the community. Please consider all this in 2006.

The Wallace Foundation Invests $8 Million in Washington DC Schools Washington DC Schools after schools and out of school programs are getting a boost from the nonprofit DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation and The Wallace Foundation. The DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation is works to increase the quality, quantity and accessibility of services for children, youth and families in the Washington DC area. The DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation is responsible for giving funds to community organizations for out-of-school time programs, youth entrepreneurship programs, and early childhood development programs and parent centers. The DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation has recently received the promise of $8 million from The Wallace Foundation for Washington DC Schools after school programs.

The Wallace Foundation is a national foundation that aims to support the ideas and practices that expand learning and enrichment opportunities. The Wallace Foundation currently lists its three goals as: strengthening education leadership to improve student achievement; enhancing out-of-school learning opportunities; and expanding participation in arts and culture. The Wallace Foundation’s Learning in Communities Washington DC Schools were chosen to be apart of The Wallace Foundation’s Learning in Communities initiative. Learning in Communities strives to develop comprehensive methods for learning in and organizing after school programs that have very high standards. The Learning in Communities initiative has begun in three Washington DC Schools middle schools, Charles Hart Middle School, Kelly Miller Middle School, and Lincoln Middle School. The program currently serves around 600 students but the plan is to expand the program to all middle schools in the Washington DC Schools.

 

The Learning in Communities initiative has help to establish high quality activities outside of the school day; after school, on weekends, and during the summer. The Learning in Communities, guided by the DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation, has created partnerships with Washington DC mayor’s office, Washington DC Schools, leaders, local universities, private foundations, parents, and the community. This partnership is now aiming to add an additional $8 million to the $8 million that has been donated by The Wallace Foundation. This partnership also aims to institute employee volunteers to act as mentors or tutors starting in the 2006-2007 school year. The Learning in Communities initiative is starting in middle schools in Washington DC Schools due to national educational research that has indicated that middle school age children are the best group to help from failing later.

The research shows that middle school students who have one or more of the following risk factors are less likely to graduate from high school. The four identified risk factors are failing English, failing math, poor behavior, and truancy. Middle school students in the Washington DC Schools often must deal with added obstacles, such as living below the poverty line, having limited English proficiency and high truancy rates. Washington DC Schools now have more than 150 programs that serve at least some middle-school students but the Learning in Communities initiative aims to put an after school program in every middle school in the Washington DC Schools. The Learning in Communities initiative will improve Washington DC Schools after school and summer programs by connecting the programs, producing diverse quality programs that fit children’s needs, developing better standards for training providers, and creating a database that will allow officials to match children with after-school programs.

Explore our site to learn more about us, and how you can join with us to help.