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Our Commitment to DEI

Communities In Schools® (CIS®) believes that transformative relationships are key to unlocking a student's potential. We will succeed by including in our strategies, ingraining in our culture, and reflecting in our behaviors, principles and practices of diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a result, we break down immediate and systemic barriers to create and sustain equitable outcomes.  

WHAT ARE THE ISSUES STUDENTS FACE?

Many of our students are facing multiple issues, which were exacerbated by the pandemic.

  • Poverty
  • Systemic racism
  • Lack of access to resources
  • Emotional trauma, and more

Watch the video to learn more. 

DEI Video

Creating New Pathways to Achieve Equitable Learning for All

Now more than ever, we must reimagine public education and find new ways to create equitable conditions for learning for ALL students, with students at the center, surrounded by a caring community with access to all necessary resources.

 

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in the Workplace

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in the Workplace

The Spanish affinity group, also known as Hablando Español en el Trabajo - Speaking Spanish in the Workplace, was established at the National office in June 2021. Individuals from the National staff meet monthly to chat in Spanish, whether it is their native language, or they are learning it.

Read more

 

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STAND UP FOR JUSTICE

We’re calling on YOU to help us create equitable learning environments that benefit and support all students.


THREE WAYS TO MAKE AN IMPACT

3 teenagers, one with their thumb up, smiling in black graduation cap and gowns
2 children, one of them folding their arms and the other with their hands in their jacket, in a school hallway smiling
3 young children, a teenager, and 3 site coordinators smiling while looking at the camera
Nadia Hernandez
We need to understand that a lot of our students come already with many traumas. We need to provide services that will help them and guide them.
Nadia Hernandez DEI Sr. Project Associate, CIS National
Cynthia Silva Parker
As you work with your stakeholders to launch and move through your DEI journey, you will want to create dialogues and planning sessions where they can voice their concerns, apply their insights, and build toward agreement on actions.
Cynthia Silva Parker Interaction Institute for Social Change
Aisha Robinson
On our journey towards becoming an equity-minded organization, awareness is our starting point. But it’s not a passive awareness that suggests only ‘I heard we’re doing something about DEI.’ It’s an active awareness that constantly looks for ways to better understand definitions in ways that are unique to the CIS family.
Aisha Robinson CIS of Chicago
Sharon Vigil, Chief Operations Officer
In pursuit of equity, innovation will be the key to our success. We are identifying nontraditional staff recruitment opportunities. We will provide DEI training plans for each staff member that is specific to their area of work and aligned to our mission and goals.
Sharon Vigil, Chief Operations Officer CIS of Central Texas

Resources from the 2022 DEI Summit

The 2022 DEI Summit: The Power of IN: Included, Involved, Inspired was a huge success! This was the first year that the Summit was open to our entire network, and it was absolutely unforgettable! From our pop-up celebration at the Lincoln Memorial to powerful speakers to our first-ever 30-minute crash courses, the momentum we created together feels unstoppable. Check out some of the resources from our DEI Summit to support DEI efforts in your community.

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Resources and Latest News

DEI Resource Guide

DEI Resource Guide

This resource guide will lead you through comprehensive diversity, equity, and inclusion readings, tools, and other resources.

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Join Our Alumni Community of Changemakers

The future of our country starts with our students and continues with our alumni. If you are a CIS alumni,
we encourage you to join our community of changemakers. To support alumni engagement efforts, we also have a new Alumni Activation and Resource Guide, which you can download below. 

Get Connected      Download Guide

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