Communities In Schools of Philadelphia

It was my great pleasure to represent you at a gathering of national education leaders with President Barack Obama at a White House event this morning. While I was quite pleased to hear the President’s commitment to reducing the dropout rate and to helping young people graduate from high school prepared for success-as evidenced by his plan to provide $3.5 billion to improve under-performing schools and $900 million in school Turnaround Grants-I was especially gratified to hear him recognize the work of Communities In Schools by name. 

Two of the country’s most respected charity evaluators have given Communities In Schools high marks for its commitment to the highest standards of nonprofit business standards. With recognition from the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance and consistently high ratings from Charity Navigator, Communities In Schools has moved to the top tier of national nonprofits for its financial stewardship and operational transparency.

The Diplomas Now model, spreading in cities across the nation, uses an early- warning system to identify potential dropouts and offers intensive social support to help students make it through.