Communities In Schools Gets Things Done

Hey everybody!  My name is Dave Mangum and I am an AmeriCorps member with Communities In Schools and specifically The readetroit Corps. Communities In Schools (CIS) is a nation-wide organization championing the connection of needed community resources with schools to help young people learn, stay in school, and prepare for life. CIS was founded on the model that every child needs and deserves a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult, a safe place to learn and grow, a healthy start and a healthy future, a marketable skill upon graduation, and a chance to give back to peers and the community. Currently, there are over 200 local CIS affiliates with a presence in 25 states.

Communities In Schools-Detroit is pleased to have two AmeriCorps programs this year, The readetroit Corps (RDC) and Eliminating Roadblocks to School Success (ERSS). Members of RDC spend about 80 percent of their time tutoring and working with children in grades K-2 in an effort to get them up to grade-level reading by the time they take the MEAP in the third grade. This is done through one-on-one tutoring, group tutoring, and working in the classroom; whatever it takes to instill strong reading skills in all of our students! The rest of our time is spent mentoring at-risk youth and children with incarcerated parents, as well as recruiting parent volunteers and other community resources in an effort to address the many needs of the schools we work in. Currently, there are 34 RDC members with a presence in 21 schools!

This year I am serving as an RDC member at Pasteur Elementary School in Detroit. On a weekly basis I work with 36 K-2 students in six classes in a one-on-one setting to give them the tools and confidence to read. Additionally, I enjoy the opportunity to work with groups of students who want to improve their reading, and have found some time to work with the school band twice a week. On the volunteer side of the service, I have been working with the administration and the Local School Community Organization (formerly PTA) on the portion of Title I focused on parental involvement. We are trying to set up a system to identify and place productive parent volunteers in classrooms and other areas where volunteers are needed throughout the school.

Now time for some good news! Back when I started my service in September, the five students I was assigned from Mrs. Jackson’s classroom were in the “red” as far as Dibels and Burst were concerned. After working with the students since then, the “middle of the year” testing has shown that four of the five students are now in the “green” with considerable improvement from the fifth student!  Mrs. Jackson told me she appreciated all of the work I have done with her to “seal up the cracks,” and asked how she could make sure I would be serving again next school year. Just another great example of how AmeriCorps is GETTING THINGS DONE in Detroit, the great state of Michigan, and across the U.S.!