THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION | June 2018 Gown Towns: A Case Study of Say Yes to Education Richard V. Reeves THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION Katherine Guyot THE BROOKINGS INSTIUTION Edward Rodrigue THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION ECONOMIC STUDIES AT BROOKINGS Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................... 7 1.1 What is Say Yes to Education? ................................................................................................................. 8 1.2 College matters ..................................................................................................................................... 11 1.3 But class gaps in college success remain very wide ................................................................................ 17 2. Research Questions and Methods ............................................................................................................... 25 2.1 Interviews .............................................................................................................................................. 26 2.2 Observation ........................................................................................................................................... 27 2.3 Surveys .................................................................................................................................................. 27 2.4 Focus groups .......................................................................................................................................... 28 2.5 Literature review ................................................................................................................................... 29 3. Say Yes to Education: Brief History .............................................................................................................. 29 4. Say Yes: Today ............................................................................................................................................. 33 4.1 Scholarship ............................................................................................................................................ 36 4.2 Governance ........................................................................................................................................... 38 4.3 Services.................................................................................................................................................. 41 4.4 Data ....................................................................................................................................................... 42 Fiscal analytics ...................................................................................................................................... 44 Pathway analytics ................................................................................................................................. 44 Postsecondary Planning System ........................................................................................................ 47 5. Say Yes in Syracuse ...................................................................................................................................... 52 5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 52 5.2 Scholarship ............................................................................................................................................ 55 Design and eligibility ............................................................................................................................. 55 Endowment funding .............................................................................................................................. 56 5.3 Governance ........................................................................................................................................... 57 Leadership ............................................................................................................................................. 57 5.4 Services.................................................................................................................................................. 59 Family Support Specialists ....................................................................................................................... 59 Mental Health Clinics ............................................................................................................................... 61 0 /// Gown Towns: A Case Study of Say Yes to Education ECONOMIC STUDIES AT BROOKINGS Extended Day and Extended Year Programming ...................................................................................... 61 Pro Bono Legal Clinics .............................................................................................................................. 62 Retention Programming in the Community College ................................................................................. 62 Support for Completing Postsecondary Financial Aid Applications .......................................................... 63 5.5 Data ....................................................................................................................................................... 63 5.6 Trends .................................................................................................................................................... 64 Subject improvement ............................................................................................................................ 65 High school completion ........................................................................................................................ 66 Postsecondary outcomes ..................................................................................................................... 67 Other evaluations .................................................................................................................................. 69 5.7 Survey results ........................................................................................................................................ 72 5.8 Focus group findings .............................................................................................................................. 74 Parent focus group ................................................................................................................................ 74 Student focus group .............................................................................................................................. 76 Educator focus group ........................................................................................................................... 78 5.9 Reflections ............................................................................................................................................. 81 6. Buffalo ......................................................................................................................................................... 83 6.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 83 6.2 Scholarship ............................................................................................................................................ 86 Endowment ............................................................................................................................................ 86 Eligibility ................................................................................................................................................. 87 6.3 Governance ........................................................................................................................................... 89 Local stakeholders ............................................................................................................................ 89 Say Yes leadership ............................................................................................................................... 92 Operating committee ............................................................................................................................ 93 6.4 Services.................................................................................................................................................. 95 i) Family support specialists ................................................................................................................. 96 ii) Summer camps ................................................................................................................................. 97 iii) Community schools and parent centers ........................................................................................ 97 iv) Health services ................................................................................................................................