Communities in Schools of Cleveland County

High School ProgramsThrough a variety of delivery options and programming, CIS Graduation Coaches provide the necessary coaching, resources, and support to high school students and their parents/guardians so that they persist to graduation and are more knowledgeable and better equipped to chart a course for post-secondary education, vocational training, and/or a military or other career. Services provide students, and their parents/guardians when applicable, a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult, a safe place to learn and grow, and exposure to certain supports based on an individualized student-support plan that focuses on areas such as behavior, attendance, and coursework through a variety of strategies related to communication, time management, study skills, college tours, financial aid and scholarship information, SAT/ACT preparation, the college application process, job shadowing and internship opportunities, career fairs, community service/service-learning opportunities, and other topics aligned with improving academic performance. Graduation Coaches are based at the four traditional area high schools and work as partners with school staff, students, and families to develop a caseload of at-risk students who would most benefit from their services. Graduation Coaches also provide resources to pregnant or parenting teens through referrals, home visits, advocacy, and group meetings. Services are offered during the regular school day in both one-on-one and group settings. The schools also benefit from CIS of Cleveland County events, whole-school activities and services, and community resources.

Community-based ProgramsMentoringThe Mentoring Program provides a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult for at-risk youth. Referrals are accepted from CIS programs and other community agencies. Youth eligible for the Mentoring Program are ages 9-17 and enrolled in or suspended from Cleveland County Schools. The goal of the program is to positively impact the graduation rate and the risk factors for dropping out, including involvement with the juvenile-justice system and other negative behaviors.Family Engagement and AdvocacyThe Family Engagement and Advocacy program serves families across the organizations footprint who are in need of additional support to help their students achieve success. The Family Engagement and Advocacy Coordinator assesses families basic, mental health, healthcare, academic, and other needs and connects them to applicable resourcesProgram AccomplishmentsAccording to the Organization's records, the following program outcomes were achieved at its six sites during the 2022-2023 academic year.Provided targeted/intensive support services to 199 students through Middle School Programs, and 277 students through High School ProgramsProvided other services/supports to 4,869 non-case-managed students and 817 parents. This encompassed over 379 hours of supports related to topics such as attendance outreach and incentives; academic assistance; gang-violence prevention; bullying; PowerSchool technology training and Remind accounts with parents and students; parent family resources/referrals; college and career readiness; financial literacy; life skills; service-learning; motivational speaking; cultural enrichment; and social-emotional learning, and professional mental health.Served 14 Mentoring participants and 9 MentorsEngaged 58 volunteers for a total of 1,852 hours Provided Christmas assistance to 13 students in 7 familiesProvided household items for 7 familiesFurnished school supplies to district staff as neededMade the following impact: 88% of students served were promoted, 97% of seniors served graduated, 76% of students served made progress toward behavior-related goals, 67% of students served made progress toward attendance-related goals, 69% of students served made progress toward coursework-related goals, 84% made progress toward social emotional learning-related goals, and 100% made progress toward college and career readiness-related goals

Middle School ProgramsStudent Support Coaches at Burns Middle School and Shelby Middle School provide supports that include in-school academic and enrichment services in a variety of formats. Programming provides students, and their parents/guardians when applicable, a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult, a safe place to learn and grow, and exposure to certain strategies based on an individualized student-support plan that focuses on goals related to behavior, attendance, and coursework. Services are based on identified needs and established goals and may include academic support, academic enrichment, service-learning, character education, leadership, financial literacy, and family-engagement activities, among others. Student Support Coaches work as partners with school staff, students, and families to develop a caseload of at-risk students who would most benefit from their services. The schools also benefit from CIS of Cleveland County events, whole-school activities and services, and community resources.