Our Blog

A Conversation with PDK CEO Dr. Josh Starr

In honor of the 60th anniversary of the Little Rock Nine, CIS recognizes and honors the nine brave students who became the martyred figureheads of the battle for educational equality that is still being fought today.

Schools are the cornerstones of communities across America, serving as safe spaces for our kids both in times of disaster and during a regular school day. Communities In Schools was founded in response to the myriad of problems students encounter that preclude a sense of security.

Talitha Halley, a Katrina survivor and CIS Houston alum, expects seasonal depression each August as the anniversary of the Hurricane Katrina approaches. But this year she did not expect her annual remembrance to be compounded by another hurricane, this time bearing down on her post-Katrina home, Houston.

More than seven million students nationwide are chronically absent from school—missing so much school, for any reason, that they are academically at risk.

Cynthia Clay-Briggs, Executive Director of CIS of Houston provided this update on the recovery and offered her gratitude to those who are supporting their efforts through the All In For Texas Relief Fund.   

As the waters begin to recede and the damage is surveyed, it is imperative that Americans mobilize in support of the affected students, families, affiliates, and schools. We, too, feel overwhelmed by the disaster and subsequent outpouring of information, so we’ve created a resource guide to help those ready to act do so with knowledge and precision.

Communities In Schools is pleased to share our 2016 Annual Report. In our most recent report we continue to see the impact of community that inscribes our name. We're proud of the work we've done and are grateful for the support of our advocates and partners across the country. As we progress through the second half of the year we look forward to moving ahead while taking a moment to reflect back.

Sarad Davenport, a Charlottesville native, joined Communities in Schools as the Associate Director of Culture and Connections at the National Office in May, 2017. Three months later Sarad watched, alongside the rest of the nation as white nationalists, neo-nazis, and Klan members took to the streets of his hometown with torches, inciting horrific violence and proclaiming that they would not be replaced. Sarad’s experience is all too familiar for many of the students CIS serves. Racial prejudice, inequality, and economic stagnation are just a few of the adult-sized challenges our students face as barriers to academic success. Systemic racial oppression has denied black and brown children the American Dream for too long, and the attitudes demonstrated on August 12th belie the notion of a post-racial America.