Agency Paper Part 1
Agency Paper Part 1
Agency Paper Part 1
Samantha C. McDaniel
Purpose
The purpose of Communities in School is strong and concise: “Our mission is to surround
students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life”
(https://www.communitiesinschools.org/about-us/).
Authorization
by Bill Milliken. Throughout CIS’s younger years, Milliken was able to run the initiative with
financial backing from many different funders. As it grew, Jimmy Carter also began to stand
alongside CIS programs and decided to allot some federal funds toward its expansion. It terms of
specific governance, CIS has a national level office in charge of providing basic models and
trainings to all of its affiliates, as well as obtaining funding. However, from there down, it is run
independently at the state and local levels at the discretion of state and local guidelines and
communication, 2017). CIS is connected in a network of 25 state offices, as well as around 200
local affiliates (CIS National Impact Report, 2015). And since Jimmy Carter in 1977, every
presidential administration has supported its mission and growth. As of the Obama
Administration, CIS must follow the authorization guidelines of the Every Student Succeeds Act
(ESSA) (http://www.communityschools.org/policy_advocacy/esea_reauthorization.aspx,
https://www.communitiesinschools.org/policy-corner/).
Source of Funding
At the national level, CIS receives funding from Altria, AT&T, Bank of America,
Bloomberg Philanthropies, Capital One, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, The
AGENCY PAPER PART ONE 3
Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, George Kaiser Family Foundation, Giant Food Stores,
Hudson Group, Robertson Foundation, The Wallace Foundation, the Department of Education,
Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Housing and Urban Development,
CISM receives funding and input from Duff, White, and Turner LLC, SCANA, Fisher and
Phillips LLP, Aflac, SCE&G, Columbia Museum of Art, NBSC, Schmoyer & Company LLC,
Wells Fargo Financial Services, Palmetto Health, and United Way of the Midlands
http://www.cism.org/who-we-are).
Personnel
Within CISM, the job classifications are as follows: Executive Director, Director of
Andrews Middle School Student Achievement Coordinator, Sandel Elementary School Student
Coordinator, Volunteer Coordinator, and then there is a Board of Directors from the community
these coordinating occupations can stem from a social work background. Qualifications for these
positions usually require passing a background check, having a college degree in the relevant
field (or be currently enrolled), and have significant leadership experience and skills. The
average pay scale for program coordinators, site coordinators, and program managers can range
anywhere from $20,000-$50,000 (S. Key, personal communication, 2017). The benefits included
with these positions are adequate vacation days and paid time off, health insurance, and the perk
AGENCY PAPER PART ONE 4
of usually working within the public school calendar (S. Key, personal communication, 2017).
There is a governing board of directors at both the national and local levels. According to a job
flyer looking for an executive director for CISM, the Executive Director is the one who reports
to the Board of Directors, and is responsible for “the overall planning, development,
implementation, management, and evaluation of CIS of the Midlands, and overseeing the core
functions outlined in the accreditation process as promulgated by the National office” (CISM
Position: Executive Director, 2012). These responsibilities include dealing with finances,
Members are also chosen based on their relevant education and experience, as well as strong
leadership.
Eligibility Requirements
Because CIS covers such a wide population, eligibility is determined at the local level.
The schools’ eligibility for CIS services is decided based on certain risk factors such as drop-out
rates, teen pregnancy rates, low graduation rates, high failing rates, high suspension rates, and
more. CIS looks at not only the school itself, but the zip code area as well. Students are
determined eligible for CIS services in their school based on referrals from a teacher,
administrator or parent. In order for their referral to be considered eligible, the student must have
been referred for issues related to attendance, academics, behavior, or any combination of the
Coverage
According to the CIS National Impact Report, in the 2013-2014 school year, 1.48 million
students and their families were connected to resources and services directly by CIS, 4,700
nonprofit and youth professionals participated in carrying out CIS initiatives, as well as 41,000
AGENCY PAPER PART ONE 5
volunteers and 10,500 community partner organizations. Within Columbia High School, the
average overall caseload is about 50-65 students, or roughly 10-12 per intern. Because the main
eligibility requirement is the student’s referral, all of those who are eligible are enrolled in CIS
services at Columbia High School. The ones who miss out on these services are either
overlooked by their teachers, administrators, or parents who are failing to refer them, or are
students who are disqualified from the program due to extreme issues.
Adequacy
According to the CIS National Impact Report, in 2013-2014, of all of the CIS case
managed students, 99% stayed in school, 91% of seniors graduated, and 93% of k-11 students
were able to move up to the next grade level. Between 2008-2015, even though CIS suffered a
drop in community partners, they were still able to serve 20% more students, and 35% more CIS
students graduated. CIS has also statistically shown to be cost effective as well, where every $1
Equity
The National Impact Report describes that CIS has a tendency to end up serving more
children of color and children of a lower class, predominantly. This is due to the fact that people
of color are twice as likely as white people to be impoverished, which CIS has determined is a
very significant barrier to success. In terms of possible inequities, CIS is likely to face more
inequities based on location. This is due to the tendency for more urban areas to have more
opportunities for resources within the community to help the students, as opposed to more rural
Objectives
Communities in Schools base objective is to assist students with anything that may be a
barrier to their success. This includes issues related to academics, basic needs, behavior, college
and career prep, community and service learning, enrichment, family engagement, life skills,
mental health, and physical health. In order to reach these objectives, CIS operates based on their
unique practice model. The model flows in a circle, starting with step one: a needs assessment. In
this step, data and statistics from multiple sources are pulled together and analyzed to determine
what the school and students’ specific needs are. Step two is planning, where site coordinators
work with their school support team to formulate strategies that will help to address the
determined needs. Step three is integrated student supports, where CIS and partners provide and
implement multilevel supports through individualized assistance, targeted programs, and school-
wide services. Step four is the monitoring and adjusting stage. This step is where the site
coordinator observes the process and the results and tweaks support strategies as necessary. And
finally, evaluation. The CIS affiliate conducts routine evaluation of the student supports in place
the involvement of partners and analyzes results in order to continue improvements for the
future. According to available data, CIS prides itself on showing that this model has proven to
increase rates of graduation, lower rates of dropout, and improve attendance rates among the
Community
community involvement is key, there is a large network of other agencies and resources CIS
functions with. The specifics of each of these agency networks are unique to each affiliate and
local community. In general, CIS works with local business, as well as social service agencies,
AGENCY PAPER PART ONE 7
schools, health care providers, nonprofits, government officials, and more. In order to effectively
navigate such a diverse landscape, the worker needs to cultivate a knowledge of the unique
culture of the school they are working in, as well as the local politics that may affect services,
and a full and well-rounded concept of the different types of programs and initiatives available in
Staff Development
Volunteers receive different training sessions periodically (about once every two weeks).
These training sessions cover an array of topics such as gang activity, mandated reporting,
cultural competence, and more. These trainings are supervised by the specific trainer, as well as
the volunteer coordinator. At the end of each semester or school year, CISM also hosts an
honorary banquet for its volunteers, providing opportunities for networking and vocational
growth.
Physical Facilities
CISM has its core office in a suite in a joint business building in Forest Acres. Most of
the schools that CISM serves are at least 20 minutes from the core office. The core office is a
conservative, but comfortable building and the office holds a very welcoming atmosphere.
Within Columbia High School, the CIS room is located inside of the school. The room is
accessible to all of the students in the school, but in order to stay for services it does require that
you be enrolled in CIS and have a pass from class. The CIS room is a very comfortable and
friendly atmosphere, and is generally a familiar and warm place to meet. When the CIS room
gets very busy and full of students needing assistance, students also have the option to retreat
with their mentor to the school library to help get work done without distraction.
AGENCY PAPER PART ONE 8
Safety
While in the setting of the school, clients and workers must adhere to the safety
procedures of that school. There are possible unaccounted for risks in working in these
populations. For example, per personal communication (P. Jones, 2017), Columbia High School
has seen instances involving gangs where volunteers or their property has been at risk. However,
CIS and the school does assist and protect its workers to the highest standard possible. In lower
income schools, there is also a tendency for fights between students to break out, as well as cases
of theft. As a general unspoken rule, volunteers and workers must maintain a heightened
awareness of their belongings as well as their surroundings at all times. As always, if a client
describes a situation where they may be at risk of abuse or maltreatment, CIS workers and
volunteers are mandated reporters, and must adhere to those guidelines required of them by law.
Judging by the data and statistics laid out by the CIS National Impact Report, I would say
that CIS is doing an incredible job with their work. And while quantitative data is relevant, I also
am seeing a significant impact at the qualitative level within my own field experience. In the few
short months I have spent working with the CIS students at Columbia High School, I have seen
how important of an impact there is when struggling students have meaningful supportive
relationships with adult figures who genuinely want to see them succeed. I think that CIS has an
incredible reach across the country, but I do believe that they could make their way into even
more schools in needs if they spent some additional time on marketing strategies. Many
communities may not even know what CIS is or what they do or that they even exist, and many
schools could benefit from CIS services, but do not know that they are out there. Overall, I think
AGENCY PAPER PART ONE 9
this agency is doing a fantastic job in its mission, and I admire its passion to continue improving
References
CISM.pdf
Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.
Alternative Proxies: