Birmingham Promise: Difference between revisions

From Bhamwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
The '''Birmingham Promise Initiative''' is a program created by [[Birmingham mayor]] [[Randall Woodfin]], and operated through the newly-created [[Birmingham Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity]], to provide business apprenticeships and college scholarships to [[Birmingham City Schools]] students.
The '''Birmingham Promise Initiative''' is a program created by [[Birmingham mayor]] [[Randall Woodfin]], and operated through the newly-created [[Birmingham Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity]], to provide business apprenticeships and college scholarships to [[Birmingham City Schools]] students.


Birmingham's program, developed by Deputy Director of Talent Development [[Rachel Harmon]], is modeled largely on Buffalo, New York's "Buffalo Promise Neighborhood", which in the span of a decade has been successful in improving graduation rates and closing achievement gaps in that city's schools.
Birmingham's program, developed by Deputy Director of Talent Development [[Rachel Harmon]], is modeled largely similar programs in Kalamazoo, Michigan and Buffalo, New York which have show long-term success in improving graduation rates, closing achievement gaps in public schools, and reducing juvenile crime.


Such programs require large amounts of private investment from partnering businesses and charitable foundations. The initial implementation of Birmingham's program coincided with a reduction in the city's direct annual disbursement to the [[Birmingham Board of Education]], from $3 million to $1 million in the [[2020 Birmingham budget]]. In the program's "pilot" year, [[2019]], a total of 20 students were placed in paid summer internships.
Such programs require large amounts of private investment from partnering businesses and charitable foundations. The initial implementation of Birmingham's program coincided with a reduction in the city's direct annual disbursement to the [[Birmingham Board of Education]], from $3 million to $1 million in the [[2020 Birmingham budget]]. In the program's "pilot" year, [[2019]], a total of 20 students were placed in paid summer internships.
Line 15: Line 15:
* West, Ty (May 28, 2019) "City rolling out Birmingham Promise initiative." {{BBJ}}
* West, Ty (May 28, 2019) "City rolling out Birmingham Promise initiative." {{BBJ}}
* Beahm, Anna (August 28, 2019) "What Birmingham students need to know about Woodfin’s college promise." {{BN}}
* Beahm, Anna (August 28, 2019) "What Birmingham students need to know about Woodfin’s college promise." {{BN}}
* Beahm, Anna (August 30, 2019) "Kalamazoo Promise, a model for Birmingham’s college aid program, gets results." {{BN}}


[[Category:Birmingham Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity]]
[[Category:Birmingham Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity]]
[[Category:2019 establishments]]
[[Category:2019 establishments]]

Revision as of 08:39, 30 August 2019

The Birmingham Promise Initiative is a program created by Birmingham mayor Randall Woodfin, and operated through the newly-created Birmingham Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity, to provide business apprenticeships and college scholarships to Birmingham City Schools students.

Birmingham's program, developed by Deputy Director of Talent Development Rachel Harmon, is modeled largely similar programs in Kalamazoo, Michigan and Buffalo, New York which have show long-term success in improving graduation rates, closing achievement gaps in public schools, and reducing juvenile crime.

Such programs require large amounts of private investment from partnering businesses and charitable foundations. The initial implementation of Birmingham's program coincided with a reduction in the city's direct annual disbursement to the Birmingham Board of Education, from $3 million to $1 million in the 2020 Birmingham budget. In the program's "pilot" year, 2019, a total of 20 students were placed in paid summer internships.

In June 2019 the Birmingham Promise Initiative was awarded a $150,000 grant from the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA) to support strategy development and implementation.

In August 2019, Woodfin announced that the Birmingham Promise program would begin offering all graduates from city schools a "last dollar" scholarship to attend public in-state 2- and 4-year colleges to which they have been accepted for enrollment, beginning with the class of 2020. The program, previously referred to as the "Fred Shuttlesworth Promise Scholarship," is funded through an endowment assembled from city appropriations and private donations.

References