Education Funding

‘Promise’ Program Begins Gearing Up

By Alyson Klein — May 11, 2010 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Communities and nonprofit organizations are now invited to apply for federal grants to help plan “Promise Neighborhoods,” schools or networks of schools that offer a range of support services, from health assistance to college counseling.

The programs would be modeled on New York City’s Harlem Children’s Zone, which has earned national accolades for its success in raising the achievement of disadvantaged children. The community-based organization serves 17,000 children living in a nearly 100-block area in Harlem.

After studying such models, some lawmakers are seeking to make sure that when the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is revamped, it will include increased support services. But they are scratching their heads about how to pay for all those new librarians, mentors, college counselors, and after-school-program administrators.

The $10 million the new Promise Neighborhoods program received for the current fiscal year appears to be a small start. The money will be used for up to 20 grants of $400,000 to $500,000 each. Applicants will be expected to focus their programs on preparing students for college or a career. Nonprofit groups, including faith-based organizations, as well as institutions of higher education, are eligible to apply.

The grants are one-year planning grants to help applicants pinpoint their communities’ needs and figure out how to address them. The Obama administration has asked Congress for $210 million more for the program in the fiscal 2011 budget request, some of which could be used for implementation grants.

The program has already generated great interest in the field, said Kay Fernandez Smith, an associate director of Policylink, an Oakland, Calif.-based research and action institute that has partnered with the Harlem Children’s Zone to develop a policy framework based on the New York program’s work.

I think people are really inspired by the work of the Harlem Children’s Zone and really thinking about how they can take that back to their own communities, Ms. Fernandez Smith said.

A version of this article appeared in the May 12, 2010 edition of Education Week as ‘Promise’ Program Begins Gearing Up

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Funding How States Are Rethinking Where School Funding Should Go
There's constant debate over the best way to allocate state money to schools. Here are some ways states are reworking their school funding.
7 min read
Conceptual illustration of tiny people is planning the personal budget, accounting, analysis.
Muhamad Chabibalwi/iStock/Getty
Education Funding A Court Ordered Billions for Education. Why Schools Might Not Get It Now
The North Carolina Supreme Court is considering arguments for overturning a statewide order for more school funding.
6 min read
A blue maze with a money bag at the end of the maze.
iStock/Getty
Education Funding Schools Want More Time to Spend COVID-19 Aid for Homeless Students
Senators want to give districts more time to spend COVID relief funds for students experiencing homelessness.
4 min read
New canvas school bags hanging on the backs of empty classroom student chairs in a large modern classroom
iStock/Getty Images
Education Funding ESSER Isn't the Only School Funding Relief That's Disappearing Soon
Federal relief aid, policies to prevent schools from losing enrollment-based funding, and support for vulnerable families are expiring soon.
10 min read
Vector illustration of a businessman's hand holding a slowly vanishing dollar sign.
iStock/Getty