Promise Neighborhoods

Abstract

The purpose of this inquiry is to consider how the U.S. Department of Education's Promise Neighborhoods (PNs) program can improve persistently low-achieving urban schools by making their "neighborhoods whole again" through community capacity building for education reform. As the "first federal initiative to put education at the center of comprehensive efforts to fight poverty in urban and rural areas," we frame our inquiry according to PNs' intent to build capacity in high-needs communities in ways that provide high-quality educational and systematic support for children and families. We begin with an overview of PN, followed by a discussion of community capacity for urban school reform. Next, using descriptive case study methods, we present the case of the Las Vegas Promise Neighborhood Initiative to illustrate the ways in which a low-capacity community in the American West engaged in community capacity building activities to improve selected urban schools, albeit unsuccessful in its ability to secure federal grant funds. We then deliver our analysis of this local initiative according to Chaskin's framework for building community capacity and consider lessons

Roles of local foundations in German community-based initiatives: Devolving criticism of philanthropy to the local?

“…Brede School Educational interrelations between various important child and parent services like parenting support, child day care, health centers etc. (Bakker, 2010) USA Harlem Children's Zones / Promise Neighborhoods Interrelations between local social, educational, and financial support networks through early childhood and family support centers, as well as after-school and college readiness programs (Horsford & Sampson, 2014) International comparison between Regional Educational Landscapes and other CBI policies. From an international perspective, Regional Educational Landscapes are comparable with empirical examples of CBIs in other countries (see Table 1).…”

“…A community perspective that considers the roles of all educational actors on a local level is needed since an extended educational approach has the potential to foster academic success (Lieberman et al, 2010) and broader child and family well-being (Casto, McGrath, Sipple, & Todd, 2016). It is therefore valuable to examine the modification and development of stakeholders' roles in the context of community-focused policies such as those existing in various countries, including England (Cummings, Dyson, & Todd, 2011), Germany (Koranyi & Kolleck, 2017), Spain (Díaz-Gibson et al, 2017), the Netherlands (Bakker, 2010), and the USA (Casto et al, 2016;Horsford & Sampson, 2014).…”

“…The organization, facilitation, and implementation of developmental efforts to combat educational challenges (including dropout rates, academic underperformance, youth neglect, childhood obesity, and youth crime) are often initiated by public administrations or private institutions. CBIs represent a comprehensive approach to societal challenges and are a global phenomenon; in the United States policy-makers have followed such an approach based on local networks of social, educational, and financial support for decades (e.g., Promise Neighborhoods policy; Horsford & Sampson, 2014), and their European counterparts have since caught on (e.g., Networked Learning Communities in the UK [Jackson & Temperley, 2007] or Community Educational Plans in Spain [Díaz-Gibson et al, 2017]).…”

“Community Aware” education policy: Enhancing individual and community vitality

“…Substantially less attention is paid to the enhancement of community vitality and benefit, which would enhance the educational opportunities and outcomes of individual students (e.g., Rothstein, 2004;Schorr, 1997;Warren, 2005). Hence, much current policy design and implementation pays insufficient attention to the social supports, networks, and community context of the individual (McGrath, Brennan, Dolan & Barnett, 2014), while promoting professional knowledge of non-local experts and professionals (Horsford & Sampson, 2014). In fact, a study of a community with a Promise Neighbourhood planning grant finds insufficient community capacity for successful implementation of school improvement (Horsford & Sampson, 2014).…”

“…Hence, much current policy design and implementation pays insufficient attention to the social supports, networks, and community context of the individual (McGrath, Brennan, Dolan & Barnett, 2014), while promoting professional knowledge of non-local experts and professionals (Horsford & Sampson, 2014). In fact, a study of a community with a Promise Neighbourhood planning grant finds insufficient community capacity for successful implementation of school improvement (Horsford & Sampson, 2014). It is in this light that we highlight the value of a community-aware education policy approach.…”