CISNT: Helping Students Succeed
On any given school day in North Texas, thousands of students walk into their classrooms carrying a far heavier burden than a backpack full of textbooks.
Some are worried about where their next meal will come from. Others are quietly battling anxiety or depression. Still others are juggling responsibilities at home that would overwhelm most adults. Yet they’re still expected to focus on their studies, homework, and exams.
When you take all these factors into account, it should surprise no one that at least half of all students in North Texas are at risk of dropping out.
Fortunately, one organization has risen to the challenge, providing students in need with a network of support aimed at empowering them to flourish in school and beyond. As part of the country’s leading provider of integrated school supports, Communities In Schools of North Texas (CISNT) is committed to helping the student remain in school and preparing them for life after graduation.
Each and every day, CISNT works tirelessly behind the scenes to provide at-risk students the resources and the support they need to overcome the personal challenges they face in and out of the classroom.
The program initially launched in 1993 as Communities In Schools of Denton County. At the time, local educators and community leaders saw an urgent but often overlooked trend: too many students were falling through the cracks because of non-academic challenges derailing their education. By 1998, Communities In Schools served eight schools in Denton County. Now, nearly three decades later, CISNT’s footprint has grown dramatically, serving 62 schools across the North Texas counties of Denton, Wise, and Cooke.
To better address individual needs, CISNT takes a holistic approach based on research and evidence empirically proven to increase graduation rates and decrease dropouts. As part of their on-campus, relationship-driven model, CISNT places full-time, degreed “Site Coordinators” directly in schools. Working hand-in-hand with principals, teachers, counselors, and families, Site Coordinators build a tailored plan to help at-risk students succeed, setting clear goals focused on attendance, behavior, grades, and coping strategies.
If a student’s grades are suffering, CISNT provides access to tutoring and academic support. If students need a safe space after school, CISNT offers afterschool programming. If a student struggles to get basic resources like food, clothing, hygiene products, and school supplies, Site Coordinators can immediately meet the need through their nutritional hubs in each school. CISNT even added a licensed mental health team, bringing professional counseling directly onto campuses at no cost to families. Last year alone, CISNT delivered 185,000 services to students and their families.
“Programs don’t change people’s lives, relationships do.”
Perhaps one of their most unrated services lies in relationship building. In addition to 75 full-time Site Coordinators overseeing each program across North Texas, CISNT has recruited over 700 volunteers. Volunteers are trusted, caring adults in the community that serve as mentors, spending time with students just to let them know they’re not alone in their journey.
“When a student knows they’re not facing life alone — that there’s an entire community showing up for them — their trajectory changes,” said Tasha Moore, the CEO of CISNT. “Our work is about more than services. It’s about partnerships and relationships that help students believe in their future and stay on the path to graduation.”
CISNT’s presence in the schools has produced astonishing results. Students involved with CISNT show improved attendance, stronger behavior, and better academic performance. For the past 16 years, CISNT maintained a 99% success rate of keeping students in school.
“We’re very proud of our success rate, but we love to give credit back to our students,” said Kayla Baumann, CISNT’s Director of Community Engagement. “It’s their hard work, their dedication to wanting to graduate that made the difference.”
In thriving communities across North Texas, it’s easy to assume that if a child is in school, their needs are being met. CISNT reminds us that staying in school, graduating, and thriving takes more than a desk and a textbook. Often, it takes a village.
You can help by attending the CISNT Stay In School Banquet, Circle R Ranch (5901 Cross Timbers Rd., Flower Mound) on Friday, April 24, from 11am – 1 pm.
For more information visit Communities in Schools North Texas.
