Research Brief
Fulfilling the Promise of an Urban School District
Sep 12, 2011
Early Progress of Pittsburgh's Postsecondary Scholarship Program
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This report presents a detailed assessment of the extent to which The Pittsburgh Promise — a postsecondary education scholarship intended to remedy the area's population decline, foster high school completion and college readiness among Pittsburgh district students, and prepare a capable and energetic workforce for the city — has met its goals to date and offers recommendations for improving the program's short- and long-term effectiveness. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used to address questions concerning (1) changes in enrollment in PPS district (traditional and charter) schools, (2) the effect of The Promise on parents' decisions to send their children to district schools, (3) its effect on students' attitudes toward completing high school and going on to postsecondary education, (4) changes in rates of enrollment and persistence in postsecondary institutions since the inception of The Promise, and (5) what can be learned from progress to date to inform future improvements. The results of the analyses are synthesized to develop a conceptual model that Promise administrators can use to ensure continual improvements and to evaluate the extent to which the program is meeting its goals in the coming years.
Chapter One
Introduction
Chapter Two
Study Framework, Data Sources, and Analytic Approach
Chapter Three
The Context of The Promise's Inception: A Description of PPS Education Initiatives from 2005-2006 Through 2009-2010
Chapter Four
Trends in Enrollment and The Role of The Promise in Parents' Decisions to Enroll Their Children in PPS
Chapter Five
How The Promise Factors into Students' Attitudes and Behaviors
Chapter Six
Rates of Enrollment and Persistence in Postsecondary Education Institutions
Chapter Seven
Findings and Recommendations
Chapter Eight
Looking to the Future
Appendix A
Promise-Type Scholarship Programs Across the United States
Appendix B
Description of PPS Enrollment Data
Appendix C
Parent Survey Technical Notes
Appendix D
Student Focus Group Technical Notes
Appendix E
Methodology and Elaborated Results for PPS District Enrollment and Parent Survey Analyses
Appendix F
Data Used, Methodology, and Elaborated Findings of Postsecondary Education Analyses
This research was conducted by RAND Education, a unit of the RAND Corporation. The research was sponsored by The Pittsburgh Promise®.
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