ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that the research supported the adoption of Communities In Schools' (CIS's) Total Quality System standards, an underlying set of principles and standards that now underlie the work of every local CIS affiliate. CIS works with communities to identify students' needs and connect community service providers to meet those students' needs. CIS operates on a federation model, with a National Office that guides policy, state offices, local affiliates, and local schools that have substantial autonomy over their operations. The evaluation team's involvement with CIS began in 2001, an era when there was clear momentum building at the federal level for data-driven decision making and using evidence to inform policy and practice. From the mid-1990s until 2007, CIS had in place a set of quality standards for CIS affiliates called the Quality and Standards (Q&S) process. The Total Quality System standards were approved by the CIS National Board of Directors in May 2007.
