Policy Priorities

Learn More About Our Priorities

Rethinking School Discipline

Missing class time for any reason has a negative impact on student achievement – and this includes time missed when a student is suspended or expelled from school. Research shows that these exclusionary discipline practices can also increase both the risk of dropping out and the likelihood of future involvement with the criminal justice system. Because of disparities in use of school discipline, these consequences disproportionately affect students of color and students with disabilities (1).

Communities In Schools advocates for a shift in our approach to school discipline that addresses the underlying issues that affect student behavior so teachers can focus on teaching. When students are empowered with the appropriate supports to address the multiple barriers they may face and are provided with the necessary social emotional skills to self-regulate behavior, the need for disciplinary referrals can be reduced. This also improves the overall climate of a school (2). Thanks to this approach, 83% of our case-managed students met their behavior goals last school year (3).

Sources:
1 U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, 2014 Civil Rights Data Collection: Data Snapshot (School Discipline)
2 The Aspen Institute, National Commission on Social, Emotional and Academic Development, Caring Communities: Linking School Culture and Student Development
3 Communities In Schools, 2020-21 Data Book

Preparing Kids for College, Career, and Civic Engagement

Young people deserve to graduate from high school prepared to attend college, enlist in military service, or enter the workforce. Employers, college admissions counselors, and military recruiters want candidates who have the necessary technical skills, academic aptitude, and “soft skills” to be successful. Soft skills are taught through social emotional skill building, and they include problem solving, creativity, interpersonal communication, teamwork, collaboration.

But in the U.S., nearly half of all students graduate high school without a clear path forward, unprepared to attend college or enter a career (1). Too many of these young people simply did not have access to opportunities to build the knowledge and skills required to graduate college and career ready. Students need better information, tools, hard and soft skills, and support services if they are to be more prepared for life after high school.

Source: 
1 The Education Trust, 2016 Meandering Toward Graduation: Transcript Outcomes of High School Graduates

Reducing Chronic Absenteeism

Each year, more than 6.5 million students are likely to be absent from school often enough that it could have a significant impact on their academic performance. Chronic absenteeism, missing 10% or more school days per year, occurs at every grade level and in schools nationwide. The problem is particularly acute for students who face the most significant barriers, including students from low-income families, students of color, and students with disabilities (1).

The prevalence of chronic absenteeism is a national crisis, and disparities among student groups underscore the need to better support all students to attend school. For many students, lack of food, health care, school supplies, clean and undamaged clothing, and even shampoo and soap can have a profound impact on their ability to attend school.

Public-private partnerships with evidence-based providers, like Communities In Schools, can bring resources into schools to address barriers to learning, like attendance, and help create more opportunities for teachers and school leaders to focus on their core mission.

Source:
1 U.S. Department of Education, Chronic Absenteeism in the Nation’s Schools

Investing in the Success of Our Students

Too often, schools lack the resources they need to provide students with the community of support that they need and deserve. And across the country, school leaders are facing urgent crises that keep young people from success, like school safety concerns and the effect of the opioid epidemic on students and families. Communities In Schools advocates for federal investments in the health, safety, and well-being of children. Thanks to the hard work of advocates across the country, funding for these critical programs was maintained or increased in the FY22 federal budget.