New Investment to Expand Communities In Schools’ Network of Non-Traditional High Schools, Serving the Nation’s Most Vulnerable Students

MARIETTA, Ga. -- Communities In Schools (CIS) today announced a $9.9 million investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to expand its network of non-traditional high schools, opening 12 new Performance Learning Centers (PLCs) in four more states—North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington. Currently, CIS operates 27 schools in Georgia, targeting students who have either dropped out or are at-risk of dropping out and helping them to graduate ready for college and work success.

While less than half of low-income and minority students in the U.S. complete high school, 85 percent of CIS students earn their diplomas and two-thirds go on to some form of post-secondary education. In Georgia, the birthplace of the PLC model, 72 percent of PLC students classified as seniors in the fall of 2005 graduated in 2006. Most of these students had already dropped out or were on their way toward dropping out. 

“With the right mix of challenge and support, our students can make immense progress,” said Daniel J. Cardinali, president of Communities in Schools. “At the PLCs, students started the 2006 school year with an academic average of 67.7 percent or the equivalent of a D. By the end of the year, those same students were averaging an 82.1 or the equivalent of a B. We are pleased to expand the impact of this model to four more states and beyond, so all students can have the opportunity to graduate from high school ready for college and career success.”

Today’s high schools are struggling to meet the needs of all students. According to the 2006 Diplomas Count report, almost 3,000 students are dropping out every day. And dropouts surveyed in The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts said they didn’t want to leave school but they felt unchallenged, unsupported, and couldn’t see the connection between academics and their futures.

The success of the CIS model rests on its ability to directly support at-risk students with community resources and services, balancing health, safety, and social needs with academic demands. Throughout its network, students work closely with instructors to create rigorous individualized learning plans and project-based lessons at an accelerated pace. Students are also equipped with the “CIS Five Basics” (1) a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult, (2) a safe place to be, (3) a healthy start in life, (4) a marketable skill to use upon graduation, and (5) an opportunity to give something back to the community.

“It is our responsibility to provide these types of opportunities for students who clearly have so much potential,” said Jim Shelton, program director of education at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “The effectiveness of the CIS school model sends a strong message that every student, no matter what their background or circumstance, can learn and achieve at high levels.”

CIS is a partner in the Alternative High School Initiative, a nation-wide network of close to 100 schools—enrolling 6,500 students—providing high-quality high school options for at-risk and out-of-school youth. More than 230 schools, focused on this common mission, have been funded and are expected to open in the next several years.

The Communities In Schools network currently operates in: Alaska, Arizona, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.

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Communities In Schools, Inc.
Communities In Schools is the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization, working in more than 3,200 K-12 public schools. Founded in 1977, Communities In Schools is headquartered in Alexandria, VA. Today, nearly one million young people every year receive direct services through more than 200 Communities In Schools local affiliates in 27 states and the District of Columbia. Between 80-90 percent of our tracked students show improvement in academic achievement, attendance, behavior and promotion to the next grade level.