NCJ Number
152972
Journal
Urban Institute Policy and Research Report Volume: 24 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1994) Pages: 4-6
Editor(s)
S Brown
Date Published
1994
Length
3 pages
Annotation
A national dropout prevention program is evaluated.
Abstract
The Cities in Schools, Inc. (CIS) program, founded in 1977, involves the development of local programs to expand school-based service integration for at-risk youth. A variation of the CIS school-level model is the corporate academy, organized as a separate school in which all students are part of the CIS program, or as a school in which a particular school wing is designated for the academy. Corporations provide financial support for the academy. This article summarizes the results of The Urban Institute's evaluation of the national organization's replication process, and its local program implementation, and also case studies of 10 local programs with innovative features. The findings indicate CIS programs realize varying degrees of success in integrating academic and social services for at-risk youth, keeping them in school, and improving their attendance and grade point averages. Methodology for the study included interviews and site visits, document review, and observation of CIS training sessions. Results of the case studies identify features of local CIS programs that could be replicated nationally. A sidebar discusses corporate-community partnerships.