A five-year comprehensive study has ranked Communities in Schools as the most effective dropout prevention organization in America.

Communities in Schools of Renton was not one of the 1,766 CIS sites evaluated, but the group follows the same model, which the study notes increases effectiveness.

“The results of Communities In Schools five-year longitudinal study is very exciting,” wrote Sue Paro, executive director of CIS of Renton, in an email. “It validates the impact CIS-Renton has within the Renton School District. Each year we see students we work with, who have been identified as at-risk for school failure, moving on to the next grade level and ultimately graduating high school.”

Conducted by ICF International, the evaluation found that the CIS model resulted in the strongest reduction in dropout rates of any existing fully scaled dropout prevention program that has been evaluated; that CIS is unique in having an effect on both reducing dropout rates and increasing graduation rates; and that the CIS model is effective across states, school settings, grade levels and student ethnicities.

The study was the largest and most comprehensive evaluation of dropout prevention programs ever completed according to CIS.

The study had eight phases, including: the study that examined results from the 1,766 CIS sites nationwide; a quasi-experimental study that compared results from 602 CIS sites against 602 matched sites without a CIS presence; a “deep dive” study of 368 CIS sites to identify best practices; and three randomized controlled trials, the gold standard in social science evaluation, studying 573 students at nine sites.

CIS of Renton did its own End-of-Year Survey study that goes out to parents, teachers, mentors and students in their programs.

They found that 98 percent of the parents surveyed said that their ability to help their child succeed in school has increased. While 92 percent also reported increased access to community resources that help stabilize their family’s life. Of teachers surveyed, 94 percent indicated that students’ behavior and attitude improved.

In 2009-2010, more than 1,000 children and family members were intensively served by a CIS of Renton Family Liaison. About 156 students received weekly support from a mentor, and more than 5,000 students and family members were served by CIS-Renton.