Communities In Schools of Renton (CISR) announced in a press release this week that it is now Communities In Schools of Renton-Tukwila (CISRT), expanding services into the Tukwila School District.
“We are driven by a belief that all students, regardless of circumstance, deserve the same opportunities to reach their potential,” the press release states. “For over 24 years we’ve been supporting our most vulnerable students removing barriers to academic success.”
This expansion into Tukwila was made possible through an expansion grant from the national Communities In Schools office and the Tukwila School District.
Communities in Schools helps hundreds of kids in the community that carry adult-sized burdens to school every day: unmet basic needs, homelessness, bullying, systemic racism, the emotional effects of trauma, untreated medical conditions, language barriers and learning disabilities.
To achieve its mission to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life CISRT creates Integrated Student Support.
The social service professional staff work directly inside 18 schools in Renton and Tukwila to address the identified needs of each school and its individual students facing non-academic barriers to success. CISRT provide supports in three different tiers; School-wide services, targeted programs and individualized support. By differentiating supports, CISRT is able to serve most students within a school while also focusing attention on targeted students that have significant needs, according to the release.
Of the 504 students who received tier two and three supports last year, 91 percent improved attendance, 94 percent improved behavior and 98 percent improved coursework.
“In partnership with local communities, we do whatever it takes to ensure that all kids—regardless of the challenges they may face—have what they need to reach their potential,” the release states.
