CIS gives students support they need to succeed

By Tiffany Tyler

Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017 | 2 a.m.

In the wake of dropping out, I found myself hopeless, disenchanted and demoralized. By early indicators, I had all the makings of a successful student, but I could not overcome the challenges of urban life. Living in a gang-ridden community at the height of a drug epidemic bodes well for no one, but bullying, violence, low expectations and underfunded schools made the challenge of school almost insurmountable.

Four degrees later, I wish I could tell the young, hopeless me that if I stuck it out a little longer, the rewards would come. I wouldn’t fully understand the rewards, though, until I met Joan, the woman who mentored me, gave me alternatives and encouraged me to attend college. It was a longer and harder path for me, but it cemented my beliefs. School-age children are so vulnerable to so many pressures, but guidance from a caring adult could help them find a more direct path to success.

Students born into poverty are almost seven times more likely to drop out of school than their peers. Look at any playground and mentally pick out 1 in 7. While most students start for their goals at the 20-yard line, you’ve randomly picked those who will start at the 50-yard line. In Clark County, the number is more than 180,000 — almost 56 percent of the student population. Added to that, almost 60 students a day drop out of school.

Addressing this requires the community to respond to many needs that fall outside the classroom, including housing instability, food insecurity, transportation and other challenges. Communities in Schools (CIS) of Nevada has been a proud pioneer in coordinating these kinds of resources for students and their families for years. This is our core model — we do whatever it takes to keep kids in school and work with more than 100 community partners to make that happen.

No one disputes the value of education. The debate is often over how to fund education and still make the playing field level for all students. I’m encouraged by the recent investments in education at the state and federal levels. It signals the growing recognition that the task of educating children does not happen in a vacuum.

There is a movement afoot to explore how we fund education. Nevada currently utilizes a funding formula that provides extra funding for special categories of youth. These include students that live in poverty (Victory Funds) and schools with high levels of English-language learners (ELL).

A weighted funding formula would offer equal funding to be spent on all students with an additional “weight” associated with the individual rather than the school. Categorical funds go directly to the school, whereas weighted funding would follow the student. The reason this is called weighted is because some populations of students require extra assistance. These include youth living in poverty, English-language learners, gifted and talented students, and special-education students. If all students received $10,000 in funding per year, students in these groups would receive a weight of 1.5 (or $15,000), whereas special-education students would be a weight of 2.0 to even the educational playing field.

In Nevada, Victory Schools and Zoom Schools each provide a “category” of funding to respond to the unique challenges of our state’s evolving student population, particularly children living in poverty and English-language learners.

During the 2015-16 school year, the Victory School program was utilized in five school districts throughout Nevada. The initial return on investment from the 14 schools funded categorically included targeted support and resources for 1,300 additional students, and record graduation rates.

Other types of investments include ReInvent Schools Las Vegas, where CIS of Nevada has partnered with the city of Las Vegas and Clark County School District in the delivery of a full-service community school model to ensure families are equipped with basic resources and guidance needed to ensure their students’ success.

Federal legislation now prioritizes the support students can receive. The Every Student Succeeds Act calls for the delivery of integrated student support (ISS). ISS is designed to address the social, economic and physical needs of families to get those students situated on the proverbial 50-yard line on par with their 20-yard-line peers. ISS also requires trackable data each year. This model is at the core of CIS, and our historical data collection is the backbone of our work.

CIS of Nevada is pleased to partner with state and local education agencies to ensure the success of Nevada students. Recognizing that dropout prevention begins in early education, CIS of Southern Nevada operates in 39 elementary schools. We are also in five middle schools and eight high schools. From tutoring and classwork assistance to weekend nutrition and hygiene resources, CIS of Nevada focuses on personalized solutions for each student to address their individual challenges on their path to graduation. CIS of Nevada provides support for nearly 60,000 students statewide and 47,800 students in Clark County alone.

As the Nevada affiliate of the nation’s leading and most effective dropout prevention and intervention program for more than 12 years, the news of the CCSD graduation rate reaching 74.2 percent in 2015-16 — a year that saw its largest graduating class of 17,491 students — demonstrates great progress and is evidence of the value of early intervention services for the most at-risk students of Clark County.

As the CEO of this organization, I couldn’t be prouder. I am lucky I had Joan, someone who helped me find my way back to a path of support and success in life. Now its is my turn to help CIS of Nevada provide that support to the thousands of future doctors, artists, athletes and businessmen that are ready to cross the goal line and only need a few more yards of support.

I hope you’ll join me.

How to get involved

Volunteer opportunities for CIS include teaming up with a student as a tutor or mentor before, during or after school, participating in one-time special events and giving presentations as a guest speaker to discuss career choices or share a personal success story.

Visit www.cisnevada.org to get involved.

Tiffany Tyler is the CEO of Communities in Schools of Nevada.