Upjohn Institute senior researcher Michelle Miller-Adams, along with Brookings Institution nonresident senior fellow John C. Austin, have contributed a blog post for Brookings' The Avenue titled "How Promise programs can help former industrial communities." It was posted on July 18. According to Miller-Adams and Austin
Evaluations of the Promise conducted by Upjohn and others demonstrate its ability to boost not only higher education attainment for participants, but also community economic development, as the city and school district experienced a reversal in decades-long out-migration (an elusive goal urban policies have long sought).
While it is still too soon to draw clear conclusions, early indicators suggest that well-designed Promise programs can address one of the most challenging dynamics in mid-tier communities: the continued exodus of home-grown talent, often after realizing a high-quality higher education at local colleges and universities.