Who is Communities In Schools of North Texas?
Communities In Schools (CIS) is the nation’s largest dropout prevention program. CIS of North Texas (CISNT) is our local affiliate, serving 4,000 students at the elementary, middle and high school levels across Lewisville, Lake Dallas, Denton, Little Elm, Northwest and Bridgeport ISDs. Our service model positions a full-time, degreed Site Coordinator inside each school to assess needs and provide resources to students, helping them overcome barriers and ultimately graduate. We partner with local businesses, social service agencies, and community members to provide mentoring, tutoring, school supplies, healthcare, counseling, college support, a safe place to be after school, and anything else that we can to ensure that our students reach their full potential. For more details on CISNT service and impact, visit us HERE.
CISNT Lunch with a Leader Mentoring
During the 2016/2017 school year, we were grateful to have over 1,200 volunteers invest more than 23,000 hours in our students. About 40% of these volunteers committed to be a mentor to one or more children in our programs. Mentors at CISNT fall into two categories: 1) Individual mentors and; 2) Lunch with a Leader mentors. Individual mentoring program involve weekly meetings at the student’s school, wherein the student and mentor work together with the CISNT Site Coordinator to overcome barriers to education. The CISNT Lunch with a Leader mentoring program offers students and mentors a different kind of mentoring experience that has proven to be a great addition to our programming. It is a monthly volunteer commitment, making it more accessible to busy professionals.
The program was formed three years ago when the CISNT Site Coordinator and School Counselor at Rockbrook Elementary in Lewisville ISD came together to discuss how to address a growing problem that many of our schools face across grade levels. They were challenged with a group of strong-willed 4th and 5th grade girls who were continually exhibiting behavior issues, as well as leading their peers to make poor decisions. This was causing a negative ripple effect across their entire grade levels, both academically and socially. Their goal was to redirect this group by teaching them to use their natural leadership abilities in a more positive way. Thus the CISNT Lunch with a Leader mentoring program was born, providing both needed emotional support and encouragement, as well as connection to local community leaders who act as role models and friends.
The results were staggering! After just one school year, all 12 girls not only improved behaviorally, but academically as well. Though they did not receive tutoring or academic assistance through the CISNT Lunch with a Leader mentoring program, they all demonstrated a new motivation to do better in school! We were so impressed by what we saw happen with this group that we partnered with Dallas Womens Foundation to expand this mentoring program into three more CISNT programs in Lewisville ISD, all of whom saw the same great results in 2016. Now we are ready to expand to our CISNT programs in Denton, Lake Dallas, Bridgeport, and Northwest ISDs, and broaden services to incorporate boys’ groups as well!
How does it work?
- Students are first identified based on a natural ability to lead, as well as a need for redirection in behavior. They are enrolled in the CISNT program, with parent permission, and begin to access a myriad of services through the CISNT Site Coordinator that will help to remove barriers to academic success. This may include social service assistance, academic support, college readiness, and/or supportive guidance and counseling. (Click HERE for more information on how CISNT uses evidence-based services to help students “stay in school and achieve in life.“)
- Students are invited to attend a weekly lunch with the CISNT Site Coordinator where they will discuss topics like positive conflict resolution, etiquette, and goal setting. Throughout the month, the CISNT Site Coordinator will update the mentors on what they are learning.
- Once a month the students are joined by their mentors, who are all identified community leaders. (In Lewisville ISD, we are lucky to have several members from the LISD Board of Trustees, as well as our CISNT Board of Directors, school district personnel, administrators from the schools we are partnered with, as well as a myriad of local business professionals.) Mentors are matched one-on-one and meet with the same student each month, within the group atmosphere. Lunch is provided by a local business and there is a guest speaker who covers a topic related to what the students have been learning.
Interested in helping?
If you are interested in mentoring or in sponsoring a lunch, email Amber Shattuck at ashattuck@cisnt.org for more information.
