Exporting the Kalamazoo Promise to help other communities grow

Community leaders interested in finding out more about the Kalamazoo Promise and similar programs are in Kalamazoo this week for the third annual PromiseNet.The conference is designed to bring together representatives of  communities that are investing in education and economic development through scholarship programs.”Investing in Youth for Community Transformation,” this year’s theme, is aimed at helping other cities accomplish the same kind of transformation the Promise has created in Kalamazoo.Conference speakers include: • Nationally renowned economist, author and commentator Dr. Julianne Malveaux, president of Bennett College for Women. • Kalamazoo investor William D. Johnston, president and chair of Greenleaf Companies.• Gregory M. Darnieder, special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Education and advisor on the secretary’s Initiative on College Access. Conference sessions are being led by a number of individuals connected with the Promise and Promise-type initiatives. They include Kalamazoo Public Schools Superintendent Michael Rice and school officials affiliated with similar initiatives in Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin and other states.”The goal of PromiseNet 2010 is to connect communities that are working together to transform themselves,”  executive director of the Kalamazoo promise Dr. Janice Brown says. “The conference is designed to bring together individuals from all over the United States who are invested and engaged in education-based economic renewal like Kalamazoo, as well as those in the planning stages.”The conference comes on the heels of  President Barack Obama’s national attention given to The Kalamazoo Promise, a college tuition guarantee for graduates of the Kalamazoo Public Schools.  During his commencement address for Kalamazoo Central High School’s Class of 2010, the president praised the Promise initiative, saying: “I think that America has a lot to learn from Kalamazoo about what makes a successful school in this new century.”Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Cheryl Roland, WMU