The mission of Communities In Schools of Kansas is to champion the connection of needed community resources with school to help young people successfully learn, stay in school, and prepare for life.

By bringing caring adults and effective partnerships and programs into the schools to address students’ unmet needs, CIS provides critical links between educators, the community, and their young people – many of whom may be struggling academically, personally, and socially, and are statistically poised to drop out. With CIS resources in place, teachers are free to teach, communities invest in the futures of their children and teens, and students have the opportunity to focus on learning and achieving as they never have before.

CIS of Kansas helps students choose success by ensuring their access to the "Five Basics" that all young people need and deserve:

CIS has a proven track record of improving student outcomes in academic achievement and behavior patterns. Students participating in CIS projects have increased promotion and graduation rates, improved attendance, improved academic performance and have fewer discipline referrals.

Each year, CIS identifies a very specific group of students for needed assistance in one or more of seven areas – attendance, behavior, suspensions, school achievement, promotion, graduation, and staying in school. The results achieved are even more remarkable when the greater challenges faced by the CIS-tracked student population are considered. These are young people who, without the intervention of CIS, would likely fall far below the national average for student success. The outcomes of CIS of Kansas case managed students for the 2008-2009 school year (our most recent available outcomes) are:

98% were promoted
91% increased their commitment to learning
85% had fewer suspensions
80% improved their behavior
73% improved their academics

Read some student success stories from around the CIS network!

At the local level, each CIS organization is shaped by the needs and resources of its community. Local affiliates work to develop and coordinate community assets, bringing them to the place where children and teens are already spending a great deal of their time – their schools. These resources may come in the form of volunteers, mentors, tried-and-true programs, innovative methods, and partnerships with local community and social services organizations, businesses, faith congregations, and individuals. Because this model is tailored to the specific school and community, it works whether the setting is urban, suburban, or rural.

Some of the specific services, programs, or activities that a CIS local affiliate might provide include:



All CIS services are based on the belief that all our young people deserve support and opportunity and that, given those things, they can succeed and create positive futures for themselves, their families and peer groups, and their communities.

In Kansas, CIS has offices at both the state and local levels. The state office works hand-in-hand with communities to develop CIS programs that will improve outcomes for their students and schools. The state office also works closely with established local affiliates. Some of the areas of state office support for local affiliates at all levels of development include:

In the 1960s, on the streets of New York City, youth worker Bill Milliken and his colleagues launched a series of non-traditional “street academies” with backing from major corporations like Union Carbide and American Express. Young people who had already dropped out of school were able to return, complete their education and, in most cases, go on to college. In 1977, Milliken and his colleagues had the idea of developing a safety net so youth could get the assistance they needed to stay in school and perform successfully, and so they decided to bring community resources inside a public school building. This way, the services would be accessible, coordinated and accountable. This began the CIS model that exists today in 27 states, serving more than two million students across the country.

CIS of Kansas was established in 1995, after the very successful implementation of a CIS program in Wichita/Sedgwick County in 1990 led more and more communities to seek how they could establish their own CIS programs. Today, the CIS of Kansas network includes seven local affiliates, providing services in 83 schools to more than 20,000 Kansas students each year.

What is Communities In Schools?
Communities In Schools (CIS) is the nation’s largest dropout prevention organization. Rather than duplicating services or competing with other youth serving organizations, CIS identifies and mobilizes existing community resources and fosters cooperative partnerships for the benefit of students and families. Communities In Schools operates in 26 states and serves 1.4 million children.

What is the mission of Communities In Schools?
The mission of Communities In Schools of Kansas is to champion the connection of needed community resources with schools to help young people successfully learn, stay in school, and prepare for life.

How is Communities In Schools different from other community groups or organizations?
Communities In Schools is not a program, but a process for coordinating services for youth and families—primarily in the schools, but also in the community. Through a community collaboration of public and private partners, existing community services are repositioned to the schools to meet the needs identified at each school or for each child.

What types of services does Communities In Schools provide?
Some of the specific services, programs, or activities that a Communities In Schools local affiliate might provide include mentoring; tutoring; parent involvement activities; after-school activities and programs; leadership skills building; literacy; career preparation activities and opportunities; field trips; cultural enrichment activities; life skills training such as coping methods, conflict resolution and anger management; service learning; summer jobs programs; teen parenting programs; and referrals for counseling and social services.

How many students does Communities In Schools serve?
During the 2008-2009 school year, Communities In Schools of Kansas directly served more than 20,600 students in 83 school sites. Thousands more students and family members were touched by our school-wide programs. Nationally, more than 1.4 million students are reached each year.

Why is Communities In Schools needed?
Everyday many students face educational hurdles that come from outside the classroom. Hunger, poverty, family crisis, low self-esteem, medical problems, violence, alcohol, and drugs negatively affect a child’s chances of being successful in school and in life. Communities In Schools takes a community development approach to supporting kids by unifying the full resources of the community around children, families, teachers, and schools as a support system to address these educational hurdles. Communities In Schools works at building relationships locally and statewide—because the impact of all groups linked to the schools can achieve the positive results in kids and families we all seek.

Where are Communities In Schools programs in Kansas?
The state office for Communities In Schools of Kansas is located in Lawrence, Kansas. Local affiliates are in Grant County, Harvey County, Kansas City/Wyandotte County, Marion County, Ottawa, Rice County, and Wichita/Sedgwick County. Please view our “Where We Are” page for more information.

What are some of the facts behind America’s dropout crisis?
By many estimates, one-third to one-quarter of young Americans are not graduating from high school or not graduating with their peers. Only half of African-American, Hispanic and Native American students graduate on time. With globalization and the decline in jobs that pay good wages and require relatively low literacy, problem solving and technical skills, only about 42% of high school dropouts find gainful employment. Both individuals and our society as a whole suffer, as dropouts earn less (if they are employed at all) and are more likely to apply for government assistance, to be arrested, and to have health problems.

What makes Communities In Schools the “leading” organization in its field?
We are not aware of another organization with a similar mission (helping young people successfully learn, stay in school, and prepare for life) that reaches such a large number of students, schools and communities, and has an equivalent history of experience and success.

What are the values and principals of Communities In Schools?
Communities In Schools has developed a formula for success by providing the Five Basics that all young people need. Those five basics are a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult, a safe place to learn and grow, a healthy start and a healthy future, a marketable skill to use upon graduation, and a chance to give back to peers and community. CIS operates on the principals of coordination, accountability, and personalism.

How can I get involved with Communities In Schools programs as a volunteer or donor?
Please contact the state office at cis [@] ciskansas.org or 785.856.5190 if you are interested in volunteering or making a donation. There are many ways for both individuals and groups to support CIS of Kansas, whether through time and effort, skills and expertise, or financial and in-kind support.

How can I start a Communities In Schools program in my area?
Please contact Malissa Martin-Wilke of CIS of Kansas at 785.856.5190 or Malissa [@] ciskansas.org if you are interested in starting a CIS program in your area. We can also refer you to local resources and organizations as available.

How is Communities In Schools funded?
Communities In Schools, Inc. is privately and publicly funded through a variety of corporate, foundation, and federal grants. Communities In Schools of Kansas is primarily funded through the Kansas State Department of Education, but also seeks private funding through foundations, corporations, and individuals. Local affiliates in Kansas are supported through a combination of public funds, private fundraising and special events. In-kind and volunteer resources, such as staff repositioned from other agencies, are critical for CIS.

What is the purpose of the Communities In Schools state office?
The state office works to provide support to local affiliates in Kansas. This includes training opportunities, program development and evaluation, community development, resource development and fund raising, and public relations and marketing. The state office also works with communities to develop new CIS programs that will improve the outcomes for students and schools in Kansas.

How can I get more information about Communities In Schools of Kansas?
If you are unable to find the information you are looking for on our website, please send us an email at cis [@] ciskansas.org or call 785-856-5190.