A Comparison of IHEs and Non-IHEs as Anchor Institutions and Lead Agents of Promise Neighborhoods Projects

Place-based initiatives, such as the federal Promise Neighborhoods grant, attempt to coordinate interventions, supports, and services with a myriad of organizations to targeted communities. Although Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), inclusive of academic medical institutions, are among the most overall researched anchor institution, Non-Institutions of Higher Education (NIHEs) have led more Promise Neighborhood grants since the inception of the program in 2010. Therefore, this study compared the revitalization efforts proposed by IHEs ( n = 5) and NIHE ( n = 5) in their applications for Promise Neighborhoods grants awarded between 2016 and 2018. Although similarities existed within and across the applications from NIHEs and IHEs, namely focused on improving academics and health/wellness, the specific interventions, supports, and services proposed by each lead institution largely reflected the individual needs of the targeted communities. The findings from this study illustrate how IHEs and NIHEs are similarly positioned to effectuate change within their communities. Implementing place-based initiatives requires anchor institutions to allocate considerable time and resources in order to adapt to the current needs of the community in real time. Therefore, future lead agents of Promise Neighborhoods should seek to promote an environment that fosters on-going collaboration and mutual trust across and within multiple stakeholders, while also exploring sustainability efforts to extend gains made beyond the duration of the grant.

Disrupting Intergenerational Poverty Through a Place-Based Education Initiative : A Review of Promise Neighborhoods in their First Decade

This study explains the complexities of attainment, implementation, and evaluation of the U.S. Department of Education's Promise Neighborhood (PN) initiative. PNs seek to disrupt intergenerational poverty through a place-based education initiative that creates a pipeline of health, social, and education resources within an economically distressed neighborhood in an urban, rural, or tribal setting. The PN implementation grantees manage a network of school-community partnerships aiming to support students from cradle to career. This study includes an analysis of the complexities of PN attainment with a focus on the PN grant awardees; the complexities of PN implementation with a focus on PN management and services; and lastly, the complexities of evaluation with a focus on the PN evaluation factors. Recommendations for the future of the PN initiative are discussed.

Place-Based Reform in the Context of Neighborhood Change: A Case Study of the Mission Promise Neighborhood

Nationwide, place-based initiatives aiming to improve school and community outcomes are in the midst of neighborhood demographic change. We explore this issue through a case study of the Mission Promise Neighborhood (MPN). We discuss how the social and educational context of MPN poses several challenges to implementing Promise Neighborhood reforms. Drawing on enrollment and residence data from San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and the U.S. Census, we show that the MPN service population extends beyond the geographic boundaries of the neighborhood and includes two primary groups of increasingly unequal social and economic status: working-class Latinos and high-income Whites. We situate these findings within the context of SFUSD’s school assignment policy and gentrification in the Mission neighborhood. We conclude that complexities in the MPN service population have significant implications for MPN service provision and the definition of a “neighborhood community.” These implications apply to other place-based initiatives experiencing neighborhood demographic change.