Archive for August, 2012


What We’re Reading

Filed Under: What We're Reading by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
August 31, 2012
language

Sometimes it seems like nonprofit organizations speak their own language. Photo courtesy Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Chronicle of Philanthropy: Have you ever tried to explain to someone what you do for a living, and they respond with a look of confusion? It happens to the best of us, and in the world of nonprofit communications, it’s easy to fall into the trap of using technical jargon while trying to reach out to Facebook followers, blog readers and donors. On Tuesday, Chronicle featured a live discussion about this subject and how to create language for your organization that everyone can understand. The discussion featured advice from industry experts on how to write simply, while still respecting your audience’s intelligence, and provided lots of great tips.

New York Times: If you’ve been to a Target, Bed Bath & Beyond or Walmart this summer, you’ve undoubtedly seen the plethora of signs encouraging people to buy college dorm accessories. This New York Times article discusses how it’s become de rigueur for parents to buy their children all sorts of new, expensive things for college. But the truth of the matter is, many of the things young people take to college don’t need to be new – marketing campaigns have instilled in all of us a “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality when it comes to extra-long twin sheets and towels. Students should never feel like they’re going off to college unprepared if they or their family is unable to afford brand-new bedding, a microwave or a mini-fridge. College isn’t about the stuff you bring; it’s about the education and experiences you gain.

Education Week: The most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that in more than 900 counties across America, residents ages 65 and older outnumber school-age children. Educators in these communities are grappling with how to keep the older population engaged in local schools and how to support local budget requests. Many schools are reaching out to senior citizens with a grassroots approach. They are hosting brunches and Veterans Day activities, and sending educators to speak with people one-on-one about their role in helping children succeed.

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Helping Parents on the First Day of School

Filed Under: Families by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
August 30, 2012

Today’s blog post is by Neil Shorthouse, President of Communities In Schools of Georgia and Co-Founder of Communities In Schools.

As students across the country head back to the classroom this fall, Communities In Schools of Georgia is excited to announce the launch of a new online Parent Resource Center designed to support parents, students and educators as they work together for a successful school year.

Since I helped found Communities In Schools more than three decades ago, one thing has remained constant: parents are a child’s first, and most influential, teachers and their involvement in their children’s education is needed and valued. In fact, we have heard repeatedly from teachers over the years that they both appreciate and welcome parental involvement and rely on parents to make education a priority even after the dismissal bell has rung.

Research demonstrates that children whose parents are involved in their education do better, on average, than children whose parents are not involved. We know that some of the benefits of parental engagement include increased motivation, higher grades and test scores, fewer discipline problems, and higher self-esteem.

We also realize that many barriers exist that continue to prevent parents from getting involved in their child’s education. Often, parents may not feel that they have the time to get involved. Or, they feel unqualified to help, or even that their child, particularly during the teen years, does not want them involved.

Communities In Schools of Georgia believes the free Parent Resource Center will help parents and educators overcome these barriers. Resources available on the website include:

* Advice for parents and families to ensure a smooth transition to kindergarten, as well as to middle school and high school
* Tips for preparing for standardized tests such as the ACT and SAT
* Ideas for making the most of parent/teacher conferences
* Tips on how to help students with homework
* Tips on how to identify and prevent bullying
* Template materials for educators to support parent engagement
* Links to other helpful educational websites for parents, students and educators
* A search function which allows parents and caregivers to locate Communities In Schools of Georgia’s traditional resource centers

The online Parent Resource Center also includes several inspirational video testimonials from Georgia parents highlighting the importance of parental involvement.

Working together, I know that parents, caregivers and educators can establish a lasting partnership to foster student success, increase graduation rates and help students succeed both in school and in life.

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Site Coordinator Snapshots: Making it Count

Filed Under: Site Coordinator Snapshots, Site Coordinators by Tracey Savell Reavis — 1 Comment
August 28, 2012

Site Coordinator Krista Dusek and Manor High School student Jazmine Scott. Photo courtesy P&G.

When Krista Dusek was first hired by Communities In Schools of Central Texas two years ago to be a site coordinator at Manor High School, she was tasked with introducing the work of Communities In Schools to Manor Independent School District. Today, the affiliate has five staff members and two college interns at Manor High supporting 1,200 students.

“The school and the community have seen the results of Communities In Schools being on campus, and of providing such a range of valuable resources,” said Dusek, who is a licensed social worker. “And because of such positive results, the school has applied for funding to keep adding more support.” Communities In Schools now has a presence in two middle schools that feed into Manor High, which makes for an easier transition for the students. Communities In Schools of Central Texas won Community Organization Partner of the Year for the 2011-2012 school year.

Dusek has been involved with counseling and community service since before receiving her undergraduate degree in social work from the University of Hawaii. She’s worked with victims of domestic violence, female offenders and people with addictions. At Communities In Schools, Dusek and her staff have provided 185 students with Level Two services, which are targeted and sustained dropout prevention interventions.

While Dusek’s work at Manor was, in the beginning, about establishing the identity of Communities In Schools – with students, parents, the community and other agencies/organizations in the school district – it is monitoring the relationships she’s since built that remains her focus and priority now.

In addition, Dusek focuses on establishing programs for girls as well as manages a  ninth-grade transition program created by Communities In Schools to help incoming freshmen navigate the sometimes tricky transition from middle to high school. Her other current project, Check & Connect, is an initiative that aims to help students improve their attendance.

Having identified one significant cause for absenteeism, Dusek will address the issue from the point of view of the student.

“When they don’t come in, it’s typically because they don’t feel like they belong,” she says. “But if you check in, and make a point of saying, ‘it’s really good to see you today,’ and ‘I look forward to seeing you tomorrow,’ you can make a connection. If they can make a connection to school, they feel encouraged to come in.”

Dusek absolutely made a significant connection to Jazmine Scott, a student at Manor whose success story is highlighted in the P&G myGIVE campaign. Dusek guided Jazmine through several difficult years, counseling her to manage anger and cope with the death of her grandmother. In doing so, Dusek helped put the onetime at-risk student on the path for college.

It is this chance to have an impact and make a difference in students’ lives that drives Dusek.

“To see them walk across the stage at graduation, like Jazmine did, when they did not know if they would graduate or attend college … that feeling is why I do my job.”

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What We’re Reading

Filed Under: Research, What We're Reading by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
August 24, 2012

A new survey revealed that many teachers use their own money to buy students' school supplies. Photo courtesy Wirawat Lian-udom via Flickr.

Chronicle of Philanthropy: This week, The Chronicle of Philanthropy unveiled a new, comprehensive study on how people in the United States donate to charities. Among its numerous resources, the study includes interactive maps, an examination of the roles of religion and tax breaks in giving, and a ranking of the 50 states by how much their citizens donate. According to The Chronicle, Utah is the most generous state in both dollars contributed and time volunteered. Where does your state rank on the list? Visit the study to find out.

Education Week: Numerous studies have shown that the more students miss school, the more likely they are to eventually drop out. Missing school prevents students from learning new information and often leaves them struggling to keep up in their classes. Even when a student is pulled out of the classroom for disciplinary reasons, it can have a negative effect on his or her overall education.

This week, 50 national groups reached out to school districts across America to ask them to stop issuing out-of-school suspensions to students, and instead find more “constructive” courses of discipline. The groups included several educational and race equity powerhouses, including the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative.

For many students, making it to school on time isn’t as simple as getting on the bus. Barriers such as poverty, community violence and a lack of positive role models keep thousands of students from making it to school on a daily basis. And when a school pulls a student out of class, he or she is missing even more valuable learning time. Communities In Schools site coordinators help students learn positive behaviors so that they are not taken out of class for disciplinary reasons. During the 2010-2011 school year, 82 percent of students receiving Communities In Schools services met their suspension reduction goals.

Huffington Post: When you were a student, did you ever wonder where your classroom snacks came from? Or your construction paper, calculator or scissors? According to a survey by Adopt-A-Classroom, necessity items for students are routinely coming out of teachers’ wallets. The survey asked questions about the work spending habits of 1,188 K-12 teachers from public, private and charter schools across the country. In tabulating the results, Adopt-A-Classroom discovered that 91 percent of the survey participants routinely purchased items for their students. Most of the supplies the teachers mentioned were for the classroom, like crafts and snacks. But just as often, the teachers mentioned products to help children survive outside school, like toothbrushes, soap and alarm clocks.

Communities In Schools makes sure that the students we serve get everything they need to succeed in school and in life. Like these amazing teachers, we provide children with food and clothing. During the back-to-school season, many of our affiliates work with the community to make sure students the first day of school with all the supplies they need to effectively learn in the classroom.

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Get. Give. Save.

Filed Under: Dropout Epidemic, Pop Culture by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
August 23, 2012

This summer, changing the world is as simple as buying a tube of toothpaste.

Communities In Schools and Procter & Gamble (P&G) kicked off the second annual GIVE Education campaign last week, a cause-marketing program dedicated to raising awareness of the dropout crisis and helping students graduate. GIVE Education’s cornerstone is the P&G brandSAVER®, a coupon booklet you can find as an insert in your Sunday newspaper. For every GIVE Education brandSAVER coupon redeemed from the August 26 booklet, P&G will donate two cents to Communities In Schools.

That’s right! Every time you use a coupon from the August 26 brandSAVER to buy Duracell batteries, Febreeze, CoverGirl cosmetics, or other P&G products, you’re making a donation to Communities In Schools and aiding our mission to give students the resources they need to stay in school and achieve in life.

Two cents can seem like a paltry amount. But consider this: during the 2010-2011 school year, it only cost Communities In Schools $189 per student to change his or her world for the better. For $189, we were able to provide a student with health care, food, clothing, academic support, a mentor and whatever else the student needed to succeed. This is a situation where every penny really counts.

Not sure if your local newspaper carries the brandSAVER? Check out P&G’s handy search engine to see which papers will contain the coupon booklet this Sunday.

Utilizing the brandSAVER isn’t the only way you can make a difference. P&G is also offering an amazing rebate program: by purchasing $25 worth of participating brands, you can get a $5 rebate by mail. For every $5 earned by rebate, P&G will donate $5 to Communities In Schools! Learn more about the rebate program and participating brands here.

The power to change the world is coming in your newspaper this Sunday. Keep an eye out for the brandSAVER coupon book and get ready to go shopping.

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