Meet the ACPS Partner: Communities In Schools of Northern Virginia

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is fortunate to count dozens of dedicated businesses, community organizations and institutions of higher education as partners working with us each day to inspire students and address barriers to learning. Our “Meet the ACPS Partners” series is how we proudly thank these organizations and share their powerful, positive work with the community. This week, we caught up with Communities In Schools of Northern Virginia (CIS NOVA) Director of Advancement Molly Wadsworth. CIS NOVA serves Alexandria City High School (ACHS), Francis C. Hammond Middle School, Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School, John Adams Elementary School, Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School and William Ramsay Elementary School.

Tell us about your organization. What’s your mission statement? How do you work with ACPS students, families or staff?

CIS NOVA’s mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. Our vision is to ensure an equitable and hopeful future for all students by supporting social and emotional needs, building resiliency, and enabling a pathway to academic achievement and career readiness, so every student can define their success for life. The ACPS and CIS NOVA partnership has ten highly qualified, bilingual full time staff members working directly in ACPS with students. In just the first half of this school year, CIS NOVA has served more than 8,700 ACPS students. The 362 students in active CIS case management are 45% English Learners, 78% economically disadvantaged and 85% students of color - each receiving an average of 63 hours of individualized support this year.

How long has your organization been (officially/unofficially) partnering with ACPS?

Since 2014. 

If you could describe the impact of your work with ACPS in three words or less, what would they be and why?

Transformational student-centered relationships: Our evidence-based model connects students to caring adults and community resources to transform how they see and experience the world around them. By surrounding them with a network of trust they can turn to, we empower students to confront and overcome personal challenges and structural barriers so they can take charge of the future they want for themselves, their communities and their peers. We apply a multi-tiered system of support, led by our school-based site coordinators, designed to mitigate the root problem(s) that preclude students from learning and help close the achievement gap. This includes school-wide initiatives, small groups and case management of individual students.

What is a recent bit of good news about your organization or a feel-good story that you can share about your work?

One of our case managed students, ACHS senior, Kharma, is featured on Communities In Schools national website! In her own words, Kharma reflects on how CIS has shaped her journey: "My journey with CIS has really helped me grow both personally and academically by giving me support, guidance and opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise.” Read more about Kharma’s story.

What is one thing most people might not know about your organization's work?

Our organization's work leverages over $800,000 in grant funding and over $170,000 in basic need support reaching students across ACPS. Additionally, a groundbreaking study conducted by Harvard & Cornell finds that the Communities In Schools model helps high-risk students in CIS schools improve standardized test scores, raise graduation rates and increase earnings in adulthood. The study found that students who receive three years of CIS support in middle school show higher rates of high school graduation, two-year college enrollment and adult earnings in early adulthood. CIS is a proven, scalable solution that transforms attendance into academic success and long-term economic mobility.

How can community members get involved and support your organization's collaborative efforts with ACPS?

Volunteering is a great way to support our collaborative efforts with ACPS! From math tutors, to food distributions and packing, to career panels, there is always an avenue to get involved. Visit the Communities In Schools of Northern Virginia website to learn more.