"Promise" energizes hurting Michigan community

USA Today July 2, 2008

The Kalamazoo Promise provides tuition subsidies for students within the district to attend any public community college or university in Michigan. The longer a student is in the district, the more the education is subsidized. Students who started in kindergarten receive 100% of tuition and most fees paid and students who started in 9th grade receive 65% of tuition of fees. The Promise initiative has been accompanied by an increase in people volunteering in the schools, construction of two new schools, increased enrollment, higher expectations of students and increased home purchases and building within the district. However, the Promise has not resulted in a significant increase in academic performance, although there are higher numbers of students applying to college and slightly higher graduation rates.