Designing a College Promise Program Informed by Community Cultural Wealth

• In Event: It Takes a Community: The Role of Families, Counselors, Professionals, and Programs

Abstract

Programs labeled as College Promise rose in popularity as a policy solution to structural barriers faced by historically marginalized students accessing postsecondary education. This case study investigates how a unique Promise program targeting systems and organizational change, rather than free tuition, involved community members from initial design to implementation. We performed a content analysis of program documents to answer the following research question: How do regional education leaders design and implement a Promise program leveraging community input? Partners centered the community cultural wealth of leaders and relevant student populations to make decisions, which impacted their ability to serve multiple student populations and resolve organizational tensions.

Authors

• Hailey Karcher, Seattle Public Schools
  Presenting Author

• Mollee Changshu Shultz, Texas State University
  Presenting Author

• Mercy Daramola, Puget Sound College & Career Network
  Non-Presenting Author