Promise Neighborhoods

The Promise Heights Initiative began in 2009 and aims to improve the educational outcomes of students in West Baltimore (see http://promiseheights.org/ for more information). In 2012, Promise Heights was awarded a U.S. Department of Education Promise Neighborhood planning grant to establish integrated and comprehensive services to support students’ success in high school, college, and career. Promise Heights currently partners with five Baltimore City Public Schools, providing community school coordination in each school.

The University of Maryland, School of Social Work was awarded a $30 million grant from the United States Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement (Promise Neighborhood Implementation Grant; PI: Bronwyn Mayden). The five-year project includes a partnership with the MLDS Center to examine the high school, postsecondary, and workforce outcomes associated with program participation. The evaluation team will conduct a rigorous comparison of outcomes between program participants and matched non-participants. The findings will have direct implications for students, schools, and programs that benefit at-risk students in the State.