WHERE WE ARE LOCATED

Communities In Schools of the Nation’s Capital has partnered with these schools for the 2012-2013 school year:

Cardozo High School at Meyer
Grades 9-12 (Ward 1)

Ferebee-Hope Elementary School
Grades Pre-K - 5 (Ward 8)

Garfield Elementary School
Grades Pre-K - 5 (Ward 8)

Hart Middle School
Grades 6 - 8 (Ward 8)

Johnson Middle School
Grades 6 - 8 (Ward 8)

Kramer Middle School
Grades 6 - 8 (Ward 8)

Shaw at Garnett-Patterson
Grades 6 - 8 (Ward 1)

OUTCOMES

Each CIS program tracks students on several key indicators including: attendance, behavior, academic performance and promotion and graduation rates. Below are a few end of the year outcomes from the 2010-2011 school year at CIS of the Nation's Capital sites:

• 100% of High School Students met their goal to decrease suspensions

• 100% of Middle School Students met their goal to decrease high risk behavior

• 96% of Elementary School Students were promoted to the next grade

• 82% of Elementary School Students met their academic improvement goal

PROGRAMS

Some of the initiatives that CIS has employed in order to reach the outcomes are as follows:

Tutoring Program: Students at Ferebee-Hope and Hart engage in one-on-one literacy tutoring sessions led by Dr. Shannon Melideo of Marymount University, who designed the program. The tutors participate through partnerships with St. John’s Episcopal Church and City Year among other groups. In addition to academic support, tutors provide critical emotional support to students frequently facing significant challenges at home.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company Partnership: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company's Community Footprints program has made an enormous positive impact on the students of Charles Hart Middle School. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has provided numerous supplies and support for programs at Hart. Including hygiene kits for students, healthy cooking courses with world-renowned chefs and workshops teaching students tips and techniques to give successful presentations. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company will be sponsoring a program in February allowing Hart students to shadow company employees for the day to increase their awareness of job possibilities in the professional world.

CIS 21st CCLC Extended Day: The Communities In Schools 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) Extended Day program, sponsored by the District of Columbia’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), funds community-based venues in which academic enrichment opportunities are made available to children during non-school hours. CIS 21st CCLC Extended Day programs are located in economically depressed areas to target students at high-poverty, low-performing schools.

The Extended Day programs at Ferebee-Hope and Hart help students meet state and local standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and math; offer students a broad array of enrichment activities to complement the day school’s academic programs; and offer literacy and other education and support services to the families of participating children.

Case Management: Working with the school administration and faculty, Site Coordinators are provided with a list of identified at-risk students who are in need of targeted interventions. In addition to meeting weekly or bi-weekly with these students, Site Coordinators work closely with the teachers, families, school social workers, and community organizations to provide wrap-around services.

Parent Engagement: Across all five sites, Site Coordinators have been actively undertaking parent engagement initiatives to increase awareness about the schools’ happenings as well as the students’ progress. Some of these initiatives include facilitating parent-faculty conferences, financial literacy workshops, family literacy and game nights, and parent breakfasts. At these events, parents are given the opportunity to provide CIS with feedback on ideas for programs based on the needs of the community.