Communities In Schools San Antonio to Help Students at Five At-Risk High Schools Graduate Prepared for the Future with $1 Million from AT&T
CIS SA is 1 of 10 Recipients of $9.25 Million in Contributions to Organizations Across the U.S.
SAN ANTONIO, TUES. SEPT. 25, 2018 — Due to the success of Communities In Schools San Antonio in supporting and motivating underserved students to stay in school and prepare for their next step in life, it has been selected as one of 10 recipients nationwide to share in $9.25 million in celebration of AT&T Aspire’s 10-year anniversary. Launched in 2008, AT&T Aspire is the company’s initiative to help provide access to education and training people need to get and keep good jobs.
Progress has been made since AT&T launched Aspire. The 2015-16 national high school graduation rate now stands at 84.1%, an all-time high and up from 74.9% for the class of 2008. But as a part of the Grad Nation campaign to drive America to a 90% high school graduation rate by 2020, more work needs to be done.
Currently, 1 in 6 students fails to graduate high school on time with their class. The 10 non-profits, including CIS San Antonio, are working on the front lines every day to change the fate of those students. They were selected from previous AT&T Aspire competitive funding awardees based on their effectiveness in helping students graduate ready for career or college. These programs use evidence-based approaches and are able to demonstrate a measurable impact on the students they serve.
AT&T’s contribution will support efforts to reach 560, predominately low income students – 51 percent of whom are female – in five high schools including: Lanier, LEE, McCollum, Roosevelt and Southwest high schools. The goal of this initiative is to increase graduation rates, improve student achievement, and improve access to and success in post-secondary education opportunities.
The Hon. Rey Saldaña, San Antonio City Council (District 4) and graduate of the CIS program, spoke at today’s event.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without this hands-on, school-based program,” Saldaña said. “My CIS coordinators at South San Antonio High School are the reason I went to Stanford University and I am thankful for them every day. There are coordinators just like
Dafney Bell and Gladys Reyes at 83 high schools here in San Antonio and they are working to reach, teach and inspire local students who might not have the support they need at home or in their community. I couldn’t be more proud to be a graduate of this great program, to support their work in our community and to join them today to accept this $1 million contribution from AT&T.”
J.D. Salinas, Director of External Affairs, AT&T, added, “Education has been a priority for AT&T for more than a century, and we believe that when we invest in education, we are making our communities stronger, safer and more economically viable. Today’s announcement and our ongoing partnership with CIS San Antonio underscore AT&T’s commitment to CIS’ proven model that helps kids graduate high school and stay on track to a bright future.”
Jessica Weaver, CEO of CIS-SA, said, “AT&T has been a strong partner for CIS-San Antonio for many years and we appreciate their continued focus on school success and career readiness. At CIS, we have learned first-hand that putting a caring adult on the ground, to interact directly with students, is critical to their success and important to families in locations with limited resources. Today’s generous contribution from AT&T Aspire will help us do just that in more schools across the San Antonio community.”
AT&T invests in education and job training to create a skilled and diverse workforce that powers our company – and our country – for the future. Since 2008, we’ve committed $450 million to programs to help millions of students in all 50 states and around the world through the AT&T Aspire initiative. AT&T Aspire brings together the power of our network – our employees, our technology and organizations – to connect people to opportunities through education and job training.
