This Is A True Story*

February 16, 2015 / Promise / Leave a comment

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Usually when a conversation about Promise programs begins, it is focused on education. But the notion of economic development has been drawing interest and catching up as a sidekick to the education component.

But in a recent story in Prairie Business Magazine, the idea of starting a Promise program is mentioned as a way to attract workers to fortify and grow the local economy in Fargo, N.D. Education appears to be an afterthought.

In the forefront of the discussion is the “massive competition in every industry,” said Craig Whitney, the president of the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce. One anecdote is that jobs are so plentiful in the region that UPS drivers have been lured away from their job while making deliveries, abandoning trucks with keys and packages inside.

So in conjunction with TIP Strategies of Austin, Texas, a consulting firm conducting a six-month study of the area’s workforce, everything is on the table. That includes mention of a Promise program to bring workers to the area with the lure of education benefits for their children.

“Part of this study that we’re embarking on through this consulting firm may give us some ideas of what can be done to retain and recruit workers,” he said. “We just don’t have enough people to support the growth.”

* Here is the story of this reference.

Full Speed Ahead

February 13, 2015 / Promise / Leave a comment

Bill Haslam — the governor whose successful proposal of the Tennessee Promise has generated national attention — has the wind at his back these days. A recent poll from Middle Tennessee State University found that 79 percent of state residents approve of the program, including a whopping 90 percent of across-the-aisle Democrats.

With such support, Haslam has unveiled several new higher education proposals in his budget, including a $1.5-million pilot program intended for adults who are at least halfway to an associate’s degree. Those who qualify would receive the same benefit as recent high school graduates in the Tennessee Promise.

One of the results of the Promise is that four-year institutions in the state have already announced ways that they are making college more affordable in an effort to attract students who otherwise might be considering a community college option.

Building Bridges To Success

February 12, 2015February 13, 2015 / Promise / Leave a comment

Perhaps the biggest challenge to the success of a Promise-type program is data. Before Promise programs are established, there is typically little information to be found for future comparison. But once a program has begun, no matter how complete its systems, it takes years to have enough measurable information to be conclusive. It then takes additional time to react and implement plans to address the issues.

So it was disheartening to see the Pittsburgh Courier recently take a break from its typical entertainment fare to publish the screaming headline “Is The Pittsburgh Promise Failing In Its Promise To Blacks?”

The story came just days after the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette featured the efforts of ‘We Promise,’ a $200,000 Heinz Endowment program designed to assist black males in the school district to focus on confidence, motivation and time management. That initiative — established in 2013 — stated that boosting the number of black males eligible for Pittsburgh Promise was its primary goal.

Additionally — late last June — the Pittsburgh Promise partnered with the Community College of Allegheny County to provide post-secondary funds in certain career and technical fields while students are still in high school. Next fall the offerings will expand into energy, advanced manufacturing and welding and computer technology.

The Courier’s sensationalized headline and the extensive quoting of Joseph J. Kennedy, IV, didn’t match the facts.

“Two thirds of the kids in the district are at least as African American as President Obama, but two-thirds of the money goes to White students,” said Kennedy, the founder and CEO of Riverbends, Inc., a nonprofit, independent and online organization which promotes African-American genealogy and history.

The district website shows that 53 percent of the students in the public schools are African-American. And Pittsburgh Promise Executive Director Saleem Ghubril reports that 48 percent of the Promise funds — $23 million — that have been disbursed have gone to black students. Even in pointing out the inaccuracy of Kennedy’s claims, Ghubril did concede that Pittsburgh Promise’s distribution of funds is “not where we want it to be yet.” This is not just a Pittsburgh problem, it is a national crisis. It isn’t something that can be remedied by a Promise program or a district or a genealogy researcher. It is something that requires the collective will of an army of people.

Pittsburgh is using data-driven analysis to implement programming to addresses its needs. From its outset, the initiative was focused on raising funds — nearly $200 million to date — to support an enormous number of students. Like most programs do, Pittsburgh had to make some adjustments, including the creation of academic supports and additional student options.

Raising large philanthropic gifts has opened the Pittsburgh Promise to a variety of criticisms, notably from others wishing for a larger slice of the non-profit pie. But no such place-based program is immune to attack. Remarkably, there has even been public criticism of programs from other programs in recent years.

But the measure of the Promise cannot be fully understood in just five or 10 years. Given time to grow, evolve and mature, cities will find what works specifically for them. When they do, cities will change and schools will transform. And that will even happen sooner than later when met with constructive and collaborative support.

UPDATE: Pittsburgh Promise board chair Franco Harris has penned a response to the original piece in the Courier.

What Will Play In Peoria?

February 7, 2015 / Promise / Leave a comment

A major challenge for the place-based scholarship initiative is the name — the Promise.

The slightest variance in the rules — if not to the benefit of the student — is seen as a broken promise, even if it is intended to strengthen the program and address sustainability for future generations.

Folks in Peoria — where the Peoria Promise is 100 percent donor funded — have grappled with this dilemma and come to a decision. Students attending Illinois Central College as a Promise scholar will need to prove themselves at the next level before funding kicks in.

In the past, like most such programs, the students were funded while enrolled, before the first final exam was taken. The Peoria Promise has adjusted its disbursement schedule. Students who qualify must now pay for that first semester out-of-pocket and wait for reimbursement once they’ve post a “C” average for the semester.

Dr. John Erwin, the president of ICC, told Marvis Herring of local FOX affiliate WMBD, “I think this is a consequence of the Peoria Promise Foundation looking at [its] donor base, listening to [its] donor base, and then believing that this is the best way that [it] can extend those dollars for a longer period of time and create accountability for the dollars. It definitely is a change. It’s definitely going to restrict it somewhat. There’s going to be fewer students using Peoria Promise.”

But Peoria Promise scholar Devyn Slick doesn’t believe it should be called “Promise” without a guarantee on the return of the funds.

This balance is a tough one. Getting the most out of donor funds might not allow for the widest opportunity, but generous opportunity might mean that there won’t be enough funds to sustain the endeavor.

It is hard to criticize any organization committed to making college affordable. Making adjustments and tweaks are often necessary as scholarship award initiatives can be forced to revisit missions, assess funding campaigns and strategies or recalculate budgets.

Cities of Promise looks to the Promise community for ideas and potential solutions for thorny issues. The comments are open if anyone has insight on how to balance the scales of funds and opportunities.