It was early on a Tuesday that CIS of the Nation’s Capital Site Coordinators came together in a conference room of the Alston & Bird law office to participate in the 2018 Summer Institute. Amid the yawns, complementary coffee, and playful banter that accompany an early-morning training, there was tension. The school year was fast approaching, and with it a rush of students and parents, each facing their own challenges and overcoming their own obstacles. The Site Coordinators are on the frontline, working with students and families daily to navigate the challenges faced in the community. They had come together from schools across the city for four days of sharing best practices and preparing to implement new programs, and the knowledge that the first day of classes was just a few weeks away weighed on the minds of most.
The Summer Institute started off on a whimsical note. Instead of diving straight into the nuts and bolts of programming, Site Coordinators and other CIS staff had a day of leadership exploration facilitated by Inspiring Educators (IE). Utilizing theater experience and a flair for the dramatic, the IE facilitators led a series of exercises designed to help staff explore their own stories and develop their storytelling and leadership abilities. This was followed by an in-depth discussion on organizational culture, structure, and accountability to ensure healthy organizational growth.
For this coming school year, CIS of the Nation’s Capital has been chosen to pilot a cutting edge Developmental Relationship program designed by Search Institute. Day three of the 2018 Summer Institute saw staff from the Communities in Schools National Office and Search Institute in attendance to train Site Coordinators to implement these practices in DC schools. Equally important was time set-apart for re-examining how CIS measures success and how this could be improved to best understand its impact in the community. Finally, the Summer Institute drew to a close with dialogue between CIS and staff from the DCPS Office of Family and Public Engagement regarding ways to improve CIS/DCPS collaboration in schools.
The 2018 Summer Institute consisted of four long but productive days of training, dialogue, and preparation for the coming school year. It also served as a well-deserved break for CIS staff, a time to share stories and lessons, and to decompress from the challenges of the year. Afterwards, Site Coordinators returned to their respective schools to ready themselves for the students soon to arrive for their first day of school. With new programs and new students come new opportunities, and the Site Coordinators are ready and willing to meet them head on.
