The ninth annual PromiseNet conference for scholars, practitioners and policymakers interested in the place-based scholarship movement took place Nov. 6-7 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Upjohn Institute staff have helped convene, and play a key role in, PromiseNet gatherings from the beginning.
PromiseNet featured the unveiling and demonstration of the Institute’s national Promise Database, which allows users to compare programs across the country by saturation—the proportion of a district’s students like to be eligible—and the program’s intensity, or generosity.
Karen Pittman and Sara Lundquist offered keynote addresses and Edward Montgomery gave opening remarks. The Upjohn Institute’s Michelle Miller-Adams presented the research plenary, with Jennifer Iriti of the University of Pittsburgh, “Taking Stock, Moving Forward: Learning from Promise Research.”
In advance of the conference, the Upjohn Institute on Oct. 26 hosted a national conversation on promise scholarship programs, featuring Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and promise program officials and funders from across the country. The conversation marked 10 years of the Institute convening researchers and practitioners around place-based scholarship programs.
More information on the Upjohn Institute’s research on the Kalamazoo Promise and place-based scholarships