Running head: AGENCY PAPER PART ONE 1

Agency Paper, Part One: Communities in Schools of the Midlands

Samantha C. McDaniel

University of South Carolina

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Agency Paper, Part One: Communities in Schools of the Midlands

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

Communities in Schools is a 501(c)(3) organization that began as a community initiative

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

procedures (https://www.communitiesinschools.org/about-us/; S. Kwitnieski, personal

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
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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,

and Department of Justice (https://www.communitiesinschools.org/about-us/our-funders/,

http://www.communityschools.org/policy_advocacy/federal_funding.aspx). At the local level,

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

Operations, Director of Development, Program Coordinator, Columbia High School Student

Achievement Coordinator, Wood Elementary School Student Achievement Coordinator, St.

Andrews Middle School Student Achievement Coordinator, Sandel Elementary School Student

Achievement Coordinator, SC Department of Juvenile Justice Representative, Public Relations

Coordinator, Volunteer Coordinator, and then there is a Board of Directors from the community

(http://www.cism.org/who-we-are). While there are no specific “social worker” positions, any of

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
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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,

program development, communications, personnel, and marketing and resource development.

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

three (S. Kwitnieski, personal communication, 2017).

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
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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

invested in CIS created $11.60 of community economic benefit.

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

areas (S. Key, personal communication, 2017).

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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

schools it serves. (https://www.communitiesinschools.org/our-model/)

Community

Because Communities in Schools is an organization founded on the principle that

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,
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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

this particular community that can benefit their students.

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.
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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.

Personal Assessment of Agency

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
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this agency is doing a fantastic job in its mission, and I admire its passion to continue improving

and reaching more and more students across the country.

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References

Coalition for Community Schools. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.communityschools.org

Communities In Schools. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.communitiesinschools.org/

Communities In Schools of the Midlands. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cism.org/

Communities in Schools of the Midlands, Position: Executive Director [Advertisement]. (2012).

Retrieved from http://www.cism.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Executive-Director-

CISM.pdf

Communities In Schools. (2015). Communities In Schools National Impact Report: Changing

the Picture of Education Across America (pp. 1-8, Rep.).