Communities In Schools Founder Bill Milliken Releases Revised Edition of 'The Last Dropout' Book

A new book introduction by former student and current Communities In Schools (CIS) President and CEO Rey Saldaña reveals how support and services CIS provides show life-changing impact of empowering students through personal relationships

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Communities In Schools® (CIS®), the national organization working to ensure every student, regardless of race, zip code, or history of marginalization has what they need to succeed in school and beyond, today announced the Communities In Schools Founder Bill Milliken released a new book titled, The Last Dropout: A Model for Creating Educational Equity.

The book contains a new introduction by former CIS student and current CIS National President and CEO Rey Saldaña who reveals how Communities In Schools personally impacted his life trajectory and has allowed him to flourish in pursuit of the American dream.

"As a former CIS student, I understand firsthand the challenges and difficulties facing some students and I feel an obligation to extend my voice to encourage them," said Rey Saldaña, president & CEO of Communities In Schools. "As a community, we meet the needs of students by lifting them up with the knowledge and motivation to succeed and to maneuver past the obstacles on their journey to personal achievement."

With a forward from former President Jimmy Carter and endorsements from the likes of Shaquille O-Neal, Arnie Duncan and Stedman Graham, The Last Dropout also includes updated information and anecdotes gleaned over three decades and highlights solutions to inequitable learning conditions exacerbated by the pandemic, and how the support and services Communities In Schools provides changes lives and offers pathways to a brighter future.

"I have known Bill Milliken for decades and the personal learnings and experiences he describes in his inspirational book clearly demonstrate his love for kids," said CIS Board of Directors Chairman Elaine Wynn. "He has a unique ability to create relationships that have brought together people from all walks of life to move this work forward. CIS should be an essential asset to every school's strategic plan."

The book signing, discussion and film screening of its new documentary, The Push, will take place on Monday, December 5, 2022 at Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles.

An inspiring 22-minute documentary, The Push  tells the story of Ja-Mez, a high-school senior who is preparing to graduate with his high school class of 2022 – an accomplishment that seemed impossible just two years earlier. Through the intervention of a CIS site coordinator, Ja-Mez is empowered and motivated to succeed.

Originally published in 2007, the newly revised edition of The Last Dropout by Bill Milliken offers nine key principles that Communities In Schools has tested over three decades and chronicles stories from CIS leaders who have successfully adopted these principles in their own communities. It also includes a new introduction by Rey Saldaña, and an insightful, revealing conversation between Rey and Bill, examining CIS's passionate grassroots mission and the goals they seek to achieve in the future. The Last Dropout traces the evolution of the CIS movement from a handful of groundbreaking "street academies" to a national network of hundreds of local affiliates.

Communities In Schools® (CIS ®) is a national organization that ensures every student, regardless of race, zip code, or socioeconomic background has what they need to realize their potential in school and beyond. Working directly inside more than 2,900 schools across the country, we connect students to caring adults and community resources that help them see, confront, and overcome the barriers that stand between them and a brighter future. Together, we build a powerful change movement made up of peers, students, and alumni committed to building an equitable path to education for future generations.

SOURCE Communities In Schools