Counseling In Schools Executive Director Kevin Dahill-Fuchel recently shared his perspective in Getting Smart on the transformative power of community schools. Drawing on nearly four decades of experience in New York City schools, Kevin argues that students cannot be expected to succeed academically when barriers such as food insecurity, mental health challenges, housing instability, and family stress go unaddressed.
The article highlights a core belief that guides our work every day at CIS: when schools become hubs of support, connection, and opportunity, students thrive. Through counseling, family engagement, mentoring, and partnerships with community organizations, community schools help ensure that young people receive the support they need both inside and outside the classroom. As Kevin writes, “when students’ lives outside school are stabilized and acknowledged, their lives inside school change.”
This vision is at the heart of CIS’s work across New York City schools, where we help create the relationships, resources, and supports that allow every student to learn, grow, and succeed.
Read the full article: What If School Offered More? The Case for Community Schools
