The path to graduation is a journey, and sometimes even the most tenacious student can be diverted from that path early on. That’s why Communities In Schools of Chicago surrounds K-12 students with a community of support to empower them to stay in school and achieve in life.
Our Intensive Program embeds 30 master’s level professionals, or Student Supports Managers, at schools to provide intensive support for students who need extra help with their attendance, behavior, grades, or social-emotional learning.
Each Student Supports Manager is responsible for a caseload of about 50 students, and they work with these students to create a plan and provide them with direct supports, like individual or group counseling. Student Supports Managers help students develop the skills and access the resources they need to make progress on their plans and unlock their potential.
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.
Of the 4,577 students we have supported in this way since 2009, the following results occurred (within the year that our team worked with those students):
99%
of students graduated.
99%
of K-11 students were promoted to the next grade.
Fewer than
1%
of students dropped out.
Freshmen Rising Initiative
To expand our support of high school students across the city, CIS of Chicago launched the Freshmen Rising initiative in 2020. Freshmen Rising pairs ninth graders with a dedicated Freshmen Rising Coordinator, who provides ongoing guidance and structured lessons around social-emotional learning.
Research shows that if students are academically and socially on track in ninth grade, their odds of graduating improve significantly. This school year, Freshmen Rising will support 60 ninth graders across five CIS high schools who need extra support to successfully transition from elementary school to high school.