Communities In Schools (CIS) of Central Texas: Austin ISD AmeriCorps Outcomes Evaluation

Communities In Schools (CIS) of Central Texas recruits, trains, and supports AmeriCorps Members who provide both individual and small group support to CIS students. The program’s goal is to positively impact 4th and 5th grade students’ academics, behaviors, and perceptions of school.
Study Goals:
The goal of the study is to analyze the impact of working with AmeriCorps Members on CIS students’ academic outcomes, including achievement, behavior, and attitudes. The study used a quasi-experimental research design that compared treatment and comparison groups to analyze outcomes.

Research Questions:
The research questions are:

• Did CIS grade 4 and 5 students have more academic improvement in 2017-2018 compared to the matched control group? 
• Did CIS grade 4 and 5 students have behavioral improvements (attendance and discipline) in 2017-2018 compared to the matched control group? 
• Were CIS students’ perceptions of school climate better than those of their peers?

Findings:
The evaluation found the following:

• Students paired with an AmeriCorps member performed better in social studies, but not in math, science, or language arts. 
• No significant differences were observed in attendance or student attitude between AmeriCorps served students and a control group.

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