1. Communities In Schools – Albany/Dougherty
Where Every Day Leads to Graduation Day!

2. COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS –
ALBANY/DOUGHERTY
The history…
a part of this community since 1995, we are also affiliates of
the state and national organizations
The only organization focused on dropout prevention to
graduation
Our affiliate has seen the best of times and the worst of times;
grants and funding were readily available and generous in the
early years
CISAD was in several schools, providing mentoring, tutoring
and on-going services to keep students engaged and enrolled

3. COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS – ALBANY/DOUGHERTY
Current board is comprised of
Officers: Judith Corbett – Chair, Michael Harris – Vice Chair,
Joe Najjar – Secretary, Kenneth McMillan – Treasurer
Rachelle Scott, Dr. John Culbreath, Wendy Wilson, Dr.
Michael Rogers, Betty White, Greg Edwards
Executive Director is Virginia Monroe
There are two part-time Site Coordinators

4. CISAD – Getting it done
 CIS uses a community development approach to coordinate
prevention and intervention services and programs designed
to support students
 In the Dougherty County School System, CISAD aims to
reach potential dropouts by weaving existing resources into a
safety net that responds to each child holistically, creates a
safer school environment and allows student and educators
to perform at their fullest potential

5. CISAD – Getting it done
In 2013 as a result, we
had 32 graduates from
the program for 5% of
total DCSS count
Another 20 students
completed all
coursework for
graduation yet missed
the required score on
one graduation test
section

6. COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS –
ALBANY/DOUGHERTY
Mission: to surround students with a community of
support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve
in life
CISAD believes every child needs and deserves the five
basics –
 A personal, 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
 A chance to give back to peers and the community

7. COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS – ALBANY/DOUGHERTY
Vision:
All students served by Communities In
Schools – Albany/Dougherty will be enriched and
inspired to succeed in school and in life
Our work is never done; we try to get in where we fit in with
each student
We offer information and awareness to all the students at a
site
Those who need more are referred to the Performance
Learning Center

8. COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS – ALBANY/DOUGHERTY
WE know that …
Poverty, illiteracy and teen pregnancy factor into the
high dropout rate
potential candidates are behind in earning graduation
credits and may be more successful in earning credits in
a smaller, non-traditional environment
The Performance Learning Center (PLC) model has
proven most successful in reaching the students where
they are and propelling them forward

9. WHAT ARE PERFORMANCE LEARNING
CENTERS®?
PLCs are small, non-traditional high schools geared toward
students who are not succeeding in the traditional school
setting. They create a business-like environment and
emphasize personal support and an intense academic program
anchored by an online instructional system and project-based
learning.
Performance Learning Centers work to focus students not just
on graduation, but life and education beyond high school.
Preparation for college and a career are the standards of
success for PLCs. PLC students are encouraged to start
actively planning their future and take the steps necessary to
make their plans a reality.

10. Our New CCPLC
•
A three-way partnership between Dougherty County School System, Albany
Technical College and Communities In Schools – Albany/Dougherty
•
Designed to improve graduation rates, reduce dropouts, and provide high
school students, county-wide, an accelerated path to graduation
•
Plus the potential to add college credit to the academic progress of students
while creating dual enrollment opportunities at Albany Tech.

11. CISAD – College and career PLC
Our Programmatic Goals:
Serve high school students at-risk of dropping out of
school
Intervene quickly with targeted services
Increase students’ chances of earning a high school
diploma
Prepare students for college and/or career
Provide substantial data to demonstrate positive
outcomes

12. COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS – ALBANY/DOUGHERTY
Desired Outcomes:
•Increase high school graduation rate
•Increase on-time promotion to the next grade or on-tract
to graduate rates
•Increase credit accumulation and completion of core
courses
•Improve attendance rates
•Reduce behavioral and disciplinary problems

13. CISAD – key strategic plan elements
Become TQS accredited by 4Q15
o Hire full-time ED
Attract 10 partners
o In-kind and monetary support
Raise awareness of CISAD’s critical role
o Breakfast, speaking engagements, marketing
Expand number of sites and site coordinators
o In all high schools by 2016

14. CISAD – our needs
LOCAL FUNDING
To help more students graduate
Needed to match grants and allotments
Required to meet TQS goal
LOCAL INVOLVEMENT
To increase support and build advocacy
To help expand the programming
Needed to increase number of graduates