President Obama Refers to CIS Efforts

On March 1, 2010, President Obama spoke at the America's Promise Alliance in Washington DC, where he announced $900 million in Federal grants for schools and school districts.

At this event, Obama also noted the work of Communities In Schools –

"As my Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, says, 'Our kids get only one chance at an education, and we need to get it right.' Of course, getting it right requires more than just transforming our lowest performing schools. It requires giving students who are behind in school a chance to catch up and a path to a diploma. It requires focusing on students, from middle school through high school, who face factors at home, in the neighborhood, or in school that put them at risk of dropping out. And it requires replicating innovative ideas that make class feel engaging and relevant -- because most high school dropouts in a recent study said the reason they dropped out was that they weren't interested in class and they weren't motivated to do their work.

So that's why we'll build on the efforts of places like Communities In Schools that make sure kids who are at risk of dropping out have one-on-one support."