Communities In Schools (CIS)
Communities In Schools is the nation's leading dropout prevention organization, and the only one proven to both decrease dropout rates and increase graduation rates.  Through a school based coordinator, CIS connects students and their families to critical community resources, tailored to local needs.  Working in more than 3,200 schools, in the most challenged communities, in 26 states, and the Disctrict of Columbia, Communities In Schools serves more than 1.4 million young people and their families every year.

In Cumberland County, CIS serves 3,000 students, elementary though high school.  CIS Coordinators identify and bring together in one place - public schools - the resources and services that students need to succeed.  Locally CIS programming includes:

• Enrichment opportunities,
• Mentoring/Tutoring,
• Parent Involvement,
• Community Service,
• Career Exploration

For more information about this nationally recognized program please visit www.cisnet.org or www.cisnc.org.

The Fuller Performance Learning Center® (FPLC) opened in the fall of 2007 providing another learning option for our high school students and community. CIS of Cumberland County and Cumberland County Schools partnered to open this non-traditional high school with grant funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The FPLC incorporates Communities In Schools caring philosophy and approach that combines strong personal relationships between staff and students with an intense focus on academic achievement. The students complete assignments using an integrated online and project-based curriculum. This small learning environment serves students on a 4x4 schedule who are not succeeding in a traditional school setting. The small learning environment establishes an environment of high expectations, which allows students ample opportunity to graduate and emerge with certifiable employment skills.  While less than half of low-income and minority students in the U.S. complete high school, 95% of CIS students eligible to do so, graduated with a high school diploma, with 88% of CIS graduates go on to some form of post secondary education.