Kalamazoo Promise
Investing in Kids
My colleague at the Upjohn Institute, Tim Bartik, has written an important book about the economic benefits of investing in early childhood education. With methodological care and the genuine consideration of alternative viewpoints, Tim arrives at a compelling argument why local economic development strategies should include extensive investments in high-quality early childhood programs, such as [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Reflections on the New Haven Promise
The New Haven Promise, announced on November 9, 2010, has raised my hackles. It’s wonderful that Yale University (with the help of the local community foundation) is investing in the largely poor, black student body of New Haven Public Schools, but the program, in my opinion, does not warrant its “Promise” label. The ournewhaven.org website [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )KPS enrollment has grown by 20% since Promise was announced
The September 29, 2010 headcount data from Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS) shows that the upward trajectory in enrollment growth has continued for a fifth year. The preliminary headcount numbers show 12,409 students currently enrolled in KPS — a 3% increase over last year. Since the Kalamazoo Promise was announced in November 2005, enrollment in KPS [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Unsubstantiated hearsay
This is the first entry in a new category of posts, interesting things I’ve heard about the Kalamazoo Promise but can’t attribute. I HEAR THAT… students are using their Kalamazoo Promise scholarship as leverage to seek financial aid from other, non-KP eligible schools. A KPS senior applying to the University of Chicago told the financial [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Kalamazoo Promise Usage by Race
Another interesting bit of data from the Kalamazoo Promise administrator Bob Jorth. Eligible African-American graduates of KPS are using the Kalamazoo Promise at approximately the same rate as eligible Caucasian students: 2006 2007 2008 2009 % eligible h.s. graduates who have used Promise 83 84 85 74 % of eligible African-Americans who have used [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Redistricting, part deux
So how did it work out? The table below compares the percentage of students receiving free and reduced-price lunches at KPS’s middle and high schools before and after the redistricting plan was implemented. The projections of the redistricting committee are also included. Keep in mind that students enrolled in middle or high-school when redistricting was [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )What’s new (since my book was published)
In the nine months since the text of my book was “put to bed” in time for the publication process, a number of important developments have occurred in Kalamazoo. One of these was the redistricting of the Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS) middle- and high-school attendance boundaries. What happened and why is it significant? At the [...]
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