Transcript Slide 1

Lessons from Kalamazoo
Dr. Michelle Miller-Adams
Department of Political Science, GVSU
W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
January 24, 2011
Educational Inequality by Race
Whites
% below “basic
proficiency” in 4th
grade reading
(2009, Michigan)
- Education Trust Midwest
High-school
graduation rates
(2007-08)
- National Center for
Hispanics
African-Americans
28
49
65
81
64
62
30
13
19
Education Statistics
% of population
with college degree
or higher (2009)
- U.S. Census
Universal v. Targeted Social Programs
 Some assistance programs are directed toward those
with demonstrated need
 TANF, food stamps, Head Start, Pell grants)
 Others are universal
 K-12 education, Medicare, Social Security
 Most scholarship programs are based on financial
need and/or academic merit; Kalamazoo Promise
breaks with this model
 Evidence of higher levels of political/public support for
universal programs
What is the Kalamazoo Promise?
 Announced 11/05, to continue in perpetuity
 Funded by anonymous private donors
 Place-based: Kalamazoo Public Schools
 Covers 65-100% of tuition and fees at all in-state, public
post-secondary institutions for KPS graduates
 Universal: every graduate is eligible
 Minimum 4-year residency & enrollment
 10 years to use scholarship
 Blending of educational and economic goals
Kalamazoo Public Schools Demographics
 Racial composition
 46% African-American
 39% White
 10% Hispanic
 5% other
 Socioeconomic makeup
 69% of KPS students are economically disadvantaged


86% of African-American students
46% of White students
 Disparities within district (across 17 elementary schools)
 Low-income percentage ranges from 97% to 25%
 Non-white percentage ranges from 96% to 28%
A tool for reducing inequality?
 Distinction between inequality of opportunities
and inequality of outcomes
 Kalamazoo Promise works to equalize both:
 Universal college access
 Structural & cultural school change
 Alignment of community resources
 Skocpol (1991) – “targeting within universalism”
Equalizing opportunity
 Reduction in financial barriers to college attendance
 Results (classes of 2006-2010)
 1,900 students have received scholarships (81% of those
eligible)
 1,200 are currently enrolled
 $21.5 million spent
 Use of Kalamazoo Promise by race closely matches
demographics of eligibility for the program.
 Use of Kalamazoo Promise by low-income students closely
matches demographics of school district.
Usage by Race
(data as of spring 2010)
2006
2007
2008
2009
% eligible graduates who have
used Promise
83
83
85
73
% of eligible African-American
graduates who have used Promise
83
81
85
72
% of eligible Hispanic graduates
who have used Promise (small-n)
71
90
82
66
% of eligible Caucasian graduates
who have used Promise
86
85
85
77
Usage by Socioeconomic Status*
(data as of spring 2010)
2006
2007
2008 2009
% graduates w/ Free & Reduced Meal
status
48
50
59
59
% of KP-eligible students w/ Free &
Reduced Meal Status
46
49
58
58
% of students w/ Free & Reduced
Meal status who have used Promise
43
46
56
60
* Free & Reduced meal status is underreported for all categories because only most recent
five years of data is available and high-school FARM rates are lower than total district rates.
Tiering of attendance and attainment
 Low-income students more likely to attend 2-year
rather than 4-year institutions.
 Positive outcomes vary across type of institution
 Students at 4-year institutions: 85%
 Students at 2-year institutions: 47%
 Low-income students are struggling once in
college.
 KP users who qualified for Free & Reduced Meals while
at KPS account for:



35% of students in good standing
70% of students on probation
67% of students whose scholarships have been suspended
Non-financial barriers
 K-12 achievement gap by income and race
 Lack of college preparedness
Academic, social, emotional
 Absence of role models / support
 Cultural: sense that “college isn’t for me”
 Importance of defining college broadly
 Indirect mechanisms of support for college
access/success

Equalizing outcomes
 Cultural: efforts to ensure that every student is
“college-ready”
 Elementary school: full-day Kindergarten; early literacy
emphasis
 Middle school: new block schedule, career awareness and
college preparation
 High school: college readiness course, expanded AP offerings,
credit recovery, weighted grades
 Structural: socioeconomic integration of schools
 Supported by enrollment increase & new school construction
 Will it extend to elementary schools? Neighborhoods?
Cultural Change
 Increased Advanced Placement enrollment (2007-10)
 # of AP courses taken:
+ 174%
 # of students enrolled
+ 130%
 Economically disadvantaged -- 63 to 259 students
 African-American -- 53 to 211 students
 Hispanic -- 8 to 68 students
 Three years of rising NAEP scores, black-white gap reduced
 Black KPS third-graders outperformed state average in 2009
 82% passed reading, 89% passed math
 Significant increases in Iowa Test of Basic Skills (4/10) for
first-graders (first group to have all-day Kindergarten)
Structural Change
 Reversal of long-term enrollment decline
 20% enrollment growth since 2005
 Enrollment increase the result of:
 Increased entry and decreased exit rates
 Stabilization of ethnic/racial distribution
 Low-income population has risen: 62% to 70%
 Increased resources for school district
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


Per-pupil funding structure
Support for bond issues (regional)
Opening of new schools (first in 4 decades)
Redistricting to achieve better socioeconomic balance
25-Year KPS Enrollment Trend
15000
14000
Kalamazoo
Promise
Announced
Academic Year
13000
12000
11000
10000
9000
Fall Headcount
State and National Impact
 Continued interest in replication nationally
 About 20-30 new programs modeled on the Kalamazoo Promise
 Includes El Dorado Promise, Pittsburgh Promise, Denver Scholarship
 Michigan as a national leader in college access
 Promise Zones: Public-private partnerships to provide universal,
place-based scholarships in ten Michigan communities
 Michigan College Access Network (MCAN): Funding/support for
local college access networks (KACAN)
 PromiseNet (June 2010) - 200 attendees from 20+ states
 The importance of universality
 Or, “Why I don’t like the New Haven Promise”
The first comprehensive account
of the Kalamazoo Promise, based
on three years of research.
Published by the W.E. Upjohn
Institute for Employment
Research, 2009.
First-graders at Parkwood-Upjohn Elementary School
Comments, questions, or suggestions:
http://michellemilleradams.com
[email protected]
Kalamazoo Promise Research Web Site
http://www.upjohninstitute.org
The Promise of Kalamazoo blog
http://thepromiseofkalamazoo.org