"I ain't even white." |
Where Did I Work? |
How Is CIS Funded? |
Communities in Schools of Philadelphia is a non-profit organization that is focused on the betterment of at-risk urban youth through education. Many of the students have either dropped out of or were removed from their public high school environment. CIS as a whole is a national organization that exists around the country with similar goals. Other affiliates include Boston, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C.
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The CIS of Phialdelphia affiliate is mainly funded by the School District of Philadelphia, which is a huge challenge when it comes to receiving the proper materials and resources for our classroom setting. Since the budget from the school district is fixed and paying employees is kind of important, the monetary resources are so limited. But they make due. They get creative. Lack of resources breeds creativity.
how does it work?My particular teaching experience occurred in the Performance Learning Center at 54th and Grays Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia. The goal is to use the credit-recovery program to help these students earn their high school diploma. They service approximately 150 students on a regular basis in the Performance Learning Center (PLC). I taught students on two main tracks: those who desire to attend a 2-4 year college or university, and those who are preparing for a trade.
CIS has many social services available to their students as all are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Approximately 40% of Southwest Philadelphia lives below the poverty line, and the high-school dropout rates are staggering. CIS wants to decrease that rate as much as possible one student at a time. |
Fast facts about The student population
- 100% of the students I have serviced this year are in a minority population group.
- Approximately 25% of our students are either pregnant or parenting.
- Approximately 30% of our students identify with the Muslim religion.
- Our students can range in age from 16 to 23 years old.
- All of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
- The majority of our students live in the West/Southwest region of Philadelphia.
- Although this is not a calculated fact, upon conversations with my students, I have found that the majority (a low estimate would be 70%) have been in a serious physical altercation at their previous schools.
The information on this blog has been provided strictly by its author, and does not reflect the information, feelings, or stance of Communities in Schools of Philadelphia or Rocketship Mateo Sheedy.