Building Momentum: Communities in Schools of Memphis

from 4Memphis | September/October 2021

Celebrating the Wedding of Andrew Bailey & Zaneta Ivy

Building Momentum:

Communities in Schools of Memphis

Mission: Our mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. Year founded: 2014 Website: cismemphis.org Number of people served: 8,364 Annual budget: $3.8 million

If you ask Communities in Schools of Memphis why they exist, they’ll point to the student who missed her junior year because of an unplanned pregnancy. Despite missing a full school year and a pandemic wreaking havoc on the nation, the student was determined to graduate this Spring. Even with a newborn, the student took extra classes that combined standard school work, course recovery, and night school. A Student Support Specialist from Communities in Schools of Memphis was there every step of the way, ensuring that the student was able to graduate despite her many setbacks and obstacles. In fact, the student even made straight A’s! Her Student Support Specialist was even there for the students’ graduation, where the Specialist cried tears of joy alongside the students’ family. Without the additional support from Communities in Schools of Memphis, the student would likely have become yet another statistic in our region’s unfortunate dropout rate. In greater Memphis, 7,200 young people drop out of high school every year. Every day, nearly 20 students in Memphis lose his or her path to a better future. We often misunderstand the complicated challenges that students face in school, leading us to stigmatize the student rather than address the systemic issues of our school dropout rate. Learning can be hindered by what’s happening at home and whether a student has adequate access to resources like mental health support. An additional complication is Memphis’ high poverty rate. A family’s socioeconomic status has consistently been linked to having a significant impact on youth academic achievement. These non-academic barriers that students face are often the cause of an increased dropout rate. Communities in Schools of Memphis was created to mitigate the non-academic barriers in a student’s life. The organization is part of a national network that has proven to be one of the most effective dropout prevention organizations in the country. In 2014, Communities of Schools of Memphis started with two schools, but they have expanded to serving twenty Memphis-area schools today. The organization identifies schools with the lowest attendance and graduation rates. Once a struggling school is identified, Communities in Schools of Memphis trains and places highlyqualified Student Support Specialists directly into those schools. Once there, the Student Support Specialists connect students and their families to basic and critical community resources, tailored to each student’s specific learning barrier. To put it simply, the organization clears the pathway so teachers can teach and students can learn. Communities in Schools of Memphis has proven itself effective at improving students’ attendance, decreasing their disciplinary infractions, and improving their grades. The data (and kids walking across the stage at graduation) exemplifies our work. When COVID-19 caused more than 100,000 Shelby County students to lose access to school buildings, Communities in Schools of Memphis was there to help. The organization created Google classrooms to continue giving students the academic and emotional support needed. Sometimes an in-person meeting was necessary, and Student Support Specialists and parents would meet in parking lots or on the family’s porch. Because of their remarkable pivot during COVID-19 to ensure that children in Shelby County Schools have access to technology and ongoing support, Communities in Schools won Momentum Nonprofit Partners’ 2020 Catalyst Awards as Organization of the Year. By helping students stay in school and succeed in life, Communities in Schools is building a stronger Memphis, where every person is capable of reaching his or her greatest potential. You can find out more at their website at www.cismemphis.org.

By Kevin Dean

Kevin Dean is CEO of the Momentum Nonprofit Partners. He received his Ed.D in Organizational Learning and Leadership from Vanderbilt University in 2021. Sonji Branch Chief Executive Officer