The Mid-City Promise Neighborhood: Complex Communities and Implications for Place-Based Reform

• In Event: 70.066 - Roundtable Session 28
  In Roundtable Session: 70.066-13 - Community Development and Collaborations

Abstract

In this paper we discuss how the social and educational context of the Mid-City Promise Neighborhood (MCPN) poses several challenges to the implementation of the Promise Neighborhood model. Drawing on enrollment and residence data from All-City School District (ACSD) and U.S. Census data for the Mid-City neighborhood, we show that the MCPN target population includes two very different demographics and extends well beyond the geographic boundaries of the neighborhood. We analyze these findings in the context of ACSD’s school choice policy and ongoing gentrification in Mid-City. We conclude that the complexities in the MCPN target population have significant implications for MCPN service provision and goals, for other Promise Neighborhoods experiencing demographic change, and for the very notion of place-based initiatives.

Authors

• Cristina L. Lash, Stanford University

• Monika Sanchez, Thrive Washington