Our Impact

Inside every student is a graduate: the ABC’s can make the difference between dropping out or graduating.

Communities In Schools of Richmond (CIS) takes action to address dropout factors by working hand-in-hand with students on personal goals helping them pave the way to success. Research over the last several years consistently identifies the most highly predictive factors of dropping out as the ABC’s:

Attendance: Missing 20 days or being absent 10% of school days

Behavior: Two or more mild or more serious behavior infractions

Course Completion: Not reading at grade level by the end of third grade; failing English or Math in six-ninth grade; failing two courses in ninth grade; getting held back in the ninth grade

Each of these indicators is an early warning sign and part of a CIS intervention strategy to help students stay on track to graduate from high school with a plan for the future.

The graduation rate in the City of Richmond is improving but it is a long road. The challenges do not begin when a student enters high school, but far earlier, before a child arrives for the first day of kindergarten. For many of our urban students, concentrated poverty robs children of school readiness, creates obstacles to consistent school attendance or can be the root of profound behavioral issues. All of which place kids at risk for school failure.

While these statistics may seem insurmountable, Communities In Schools of Richmond (CIS) is focusing our work to achieve real results for students. Working across the K-12 pipeline, CISis concentrating on three critical dropout factors. The ABC’s—Attendance, Behaviors, and Course Completion—are at the heart of every service we coordinate for students. Using these factors as identifiers, our goal is to boost strong student outcomes across the spectrum and harness resources to make a greater impact. Using the ABC’s as our guide and with your continued investment, CIS is committed to the long road.

Year after year Communities In Schools of Richmond keeps students in school and on track for graduation. 

Why Measure Outcomes?

The CIS Model for delivering services to students is based on student outcomes for attendance, behavior and course completion goals. Shifting from a referral-based model to a proactive identification process, CIS uses “near real time” data to identify the students who are off-track earlier. The process captures more at-risk students and offers a proactive pathway for staying on course. It includes:

• Rapid identification of students who are underserved
• Rapid interventions targeted to students’ immediate and long-term needs
• Frequent monitoring of the success of each intervention
• Rapid modification of interventions
• Shared learning from outcomes 

Real Results

During the 2018school year, 21,941 students were connected to resources and 2,218 students received intensive case-managed services. Among the group receiving intensive services:

Communities In Schools of Richmond (CIS) takes action to address dropout factors by working hand-in-hand with students on personal goals, helping them pave the way to success.

       62% of CIS students improved attendance

      81% of CIS students improved behavior

       73% of CIS students improved academic performance

2,500 volunteers shared time with K-12 students; 350 partners supported Richmond and Henrico students; 100% of eligible CIS seniors graduated with their peers (157 students); 46 CIS Site Coordinators worked inside K-12 schools.