We believe that our students are the experts of their own lives and their own communities. CIS of Chicago supports them in investing in their well-being, making healthy decisions, and succeeding in school.
Our Intensive Program is our individual approach. We embed a CIS of Chicago team member in 40 of our 250 partner schools to provide direct, individualized support to students who need it most.
CIS school-based team members meet with students, one-on-one and in groups. They help individual students set goals around their attendance, behavior, grades, or social and emotional skills, and they give students the tools they need to make progress on their goals.
Student Supports Managers collaborate with teachers and other school staff as well. They connect the entire student body to CIS of Chicago’s network of community partners, based on the school’s needs. Services provided by these partners come at no cost to the students or the school and focus on six key areas: academic support; arts and culture; college and career readiness; counseling and supportive guidance; health and wellness; and parent and family engagement.
The Intensive Program propels students on the path to graduation. Of the more than 8,000 students CIS has provided case-managed services to since 2009, fewer than 1% of students have dropped out in the year that CIS worked with them.
In addition, research from 2021 shows that CIS’ case-managed elementary students increased their attendance by 3-4 days and case-managed high school students increased their attendance by 4-7 days (compared to similar peers).