Imagining a Promise Pathway for
AUSTIN YOUTH
CONNECTION
before
CONTENT
1. What is the first concert you ever attended?
2. What’s a funny, interesting, or surprising fact
about you?
from
THIS
to
THAT
From working with each other with our
own goals
From creating collective understanding
of what is needed
From initiating many loosely coupled
projects with limited sustainability
From institutionally driven opportunities
To truly working “together” as a region
with a bold unified goal.
To driving collective action with people,
data, and resources
To launching focused bold action with
a sustainability plan
To student, family, and community empowered voices that solve root cause issues.
A New Way of Working that is BOLD and COLLABORATIVE
College Promise
What the Research Shows
SESSION
Denisa Gándara, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Educational Leadership & Policy
College of Education, UT Austin
Elizabeth Bell, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
LBJ School of Public Affairs
The University of Texas at Austin
COLLEGE PROMISE:
WHAT THE RESEARCH SHOWS
Denisa Gándara
Associate Professor, Educational Leadership and Policy
Elizabeth Bell
Assistant Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs
IMPACTS OF COLLEGE PROMISE PROGRAMS
Impact on Student Outcomes
Effect – We DO see this effect.
Potential Effects – We CAN see these effects.
(Bell 2021; Carruthers & Fox, 2016; Page et al., 2019; Perna et al., 2018; Gurantz, 2022)
Bell & Gándara, 2021; Swanson & Ritter, 2020; Harris et al., 2018)
Borg et al., 2021; Hershbein 2021)
Why do college promise programs improve student outcomes?
KEY PROMISE �DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
Key Design Considerations
REDUCING ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN
Administrative Burden
Learning Costs: What are the informational barriers/areas of confusion?
Compliance Costs: What are the eligibility/paperwork requirements leading to onerous experiences?
Psychological Costs: What are the psychological burdens?
Herd, P., & Moynihan, D. P. (2019). Administrative burden: Policymaking by other means. Russell Sage Foundation.
Gándara, D., Acevedo, R. M., Cervantes, D., & Quiroz, M. A. (2023). Advancing a framework of racialized administrative burdens in higher education policy. The Journal of Higher Education, 1-29.
How can we reduce uncertainty and informational barriers?
Herd, P., & Moynihan, D. P. (2019). Administrative burden: Policymaking by other means. Russell Sage Foundation.
Gándara, D., Acevedo, R. M., Cervantes, D., & Quiroz, M. A. (2023). Advancing a framework of racialized administrative burdens in higher education policy. The Journal of Higher Education, 1-29.
How can we streamline or eliminate onerous requirements?
Herd, P., & Moynihan, D. P. (2019). Administrative burden: Policymaking by other means. Russell Sage Foundation.
Gándara, D., Acevedo, R. M., Cervantes, D., & Quiroz, M. A. (2023). Advancing a framework of racialized administrative burdens in higher education policy. The Journal of Higher Education, 1-29.
How can we streamline or eliminate onerous requirements?
Herd, P., & Moynihan, D. P. (2019). Administrative burden: Policymaking by other means. Russell Sage Foundation.
Gándara, D., Acevedo, R. M., Cervantes, D., & Quiroz, M. A. (2023). Advancing a framework of racialized administrative burdens in higher education policy. The Journal of Higher Education, 1-29.
THANK YOU!
Denisa Gándara denisa.gandara@austin.utexas.edu
Elizabeth Bell elizabeth.bell@austin.utexas.edu
How Seasoned Promise Programs
Have Evolved and Other Lessons Learned
PANEL
PANEL FACILITATOR
John Fitzpatrick
President, Ferry Partners
Founder, Educate Texas
Wytrice Harris
Senior Director, College Success & Partnerships
Lupe Pasillas
Director, High School Outreach & Educational Partnerships
Graham Thomas
Chief Community & Government Affairs Officer
Program Design
Presented by: Lupe Pasillas�Prepared for Austin 2030 Network �May 2, 2025
Long Beach College Promise: For Student Success
College Promise Commitment 1:
Provide information,services, and resources to help Long Beach students and their families prepare for college.
Spotlight Activities: �
Long Beach College Promise Family Nights:
Information session on Promise Programs, Financial Aid, and Support Services at LBCC and CSULB to help with post-high school decisions.
Dual Enrollment:
LBCC Dual enrollment offers courses that complement high school pathways leading to certificates or transfer.
College Promise Commitment 2:
Help students successfully transition to and succeed in college and provide opportunities in career and technical education.
Spotlight Activities: ��Trades Summer Camps: Two-week dual enrollment programs in skilled trades with potential Earn and Learn framework and industry certification
First Year Support:
College Promise Commitment 3:
Provide all LBUSD and LBCC students who successfully prepare for college with the opportunity to earn a high-quality bachelor's or advanced degree.
Spotlight Activities: ��Priority Admission:
All LBUSD high school graduates, even those that start at LBCC, receive priority admission to CSULB.
Program Mappers:
Developed curriculum road maps and transitioned from individual advising to scalable support through grant funding.
College Promise Commitment 4:
Work together to deliver these promises for the young people
and families of the Long Beach area.
Spotlight Activities: ��LBCP Data Sharing Workgroup:
Cross-institutional stakeholders addressing barriers in policy, processes, and practice that limit access to necessary data
Long Beach College Promise Symposium:
Cross-institutional event designed to create a more supportive and consistent pathway for student
�
Questions? �
For More Information:
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*“Five years after college, 76% of community college graduates and 73% of TCAT graduates were employed in Tennessee…” �Tennessee Board of Regents Partners with Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development to Launch New Employment Data Dashboard” April 3, 2024.
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tnAchieves drives impact across 74 counties, embedding its mission within all 37 community and technical colleges and collaborating with 432 high schools statewide.
Tennessee High School Graduates
TN Promise �Applicants
Tennessee Community College Graduates
87%
93%
93%
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The Class of 2025 represents the largest TN Promise application total to date.
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of tnAchieves students represent vulnerable student populations.
(88% in 2023)
Students potentially fall into multiple subgroups.
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PERCENTAGE POINT �INCREASE
5
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A Career Pathways Model
Without tnAchieves support, only 11% of economically disadvantaged students graduate from college.
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COMPLETE Coaching
Accountability Partner
Career Exploration
Skill Development
Additional Funding Access
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tnAchieves COMPLETE Grants help ensure unexpected financial hurdles do not become barriers to college success.
| Funding Disbursed | Grants Disbursed |
2024-2025 AY To Date | $2,035,391 | 16,084 |
All Time | $6,709,411 | 53,173 |
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Detroit Promise
A foundational overview
Wytrice Harris M.Ed.
Senior Director, College Success and Partnerships
Detroit Promise Eligibility
Detroit Promise Student Demographics
Detroit Promise Overview
How Seasoned Promise Programs
Have Evolved and Other Lessons Learned
PANEL
PANEL FACILITATOR
John Fitzpatrick
President, Ferry Partners
Founder, Educate Texas
Wytrice Harris
Senior Director, College Success & Partnerships
Lupe Pasillas
Director, High School Outreach & Educational Partnerships
Graham Thomas
Chief Community & Government Affairs Officer
SENSE MAKING
What touched your heart?
What really got you thinking?
What surprised you?
What questions to you still have?
What do we need to do to make this happen here?
let’s
BREAK
let’s TAKE A BREAK
How College Promises in Texas Are Designed to
Engage Students and Promote Persistence
PANEL
Natalie Young-Williams
President/CEO
Phillip Fabian
Senior Director, College Readiness & Success
Melissa Peña-Montes
Director
PANEL FACILITATOR
Richard Tagle
Executive Director
E3 Alliance
The Student Learner Journey
10,500+
households
57
advisors across schools
4 ISDs
8 postsecondary institutions
OUR REACH AND GROWTH
40,000+
students
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Valley Promise Program
Program Overview
Regional Snapshot�
Region | Counties Served | Number of participating ISDS | Number of participating Promise high schools | Current Status (as of Spring 2025) | Number of students in the program |
Rio Grande Valley | 2 | 22 | 76 | Implementation Year 2 | Class of 2024: 1,124 pledges and 920 enrolled Class of 2025: 3,185 pledges and counting* |
Key Components
Coaching and
Mentoring
Career and Transfer Planning
Personalized Support
Tuition Granted
Eligibility Requirements
Apply
Applications Needed:
Pledge
Submit the Valley Promise Pledge to continue your education after high school.
Register
Register for 12 credit hours for the immediate fall semester following high school graduation.
Data Sharing Systems� Empowering HS Advisors with Real-Time Data to Case Manage Student Success�
Salesforce: Database + case management that moves data into a plan of action
College Applications
Financial Aid
Enrollment
TSI
Partnerships & Collaboration
Thank you!
What is Dallas County Promise?
Dallas County Promise is a coalition of school districts, higher ed institutions, and community-based organizations formed to support students in pursuing their best fit postsecondary pathway aligned with a living-wage career.
The financial opportunity is a last-dollar grant that covers tuition (cost of classes) at partner colleges and offers dedicated supports for Dallas County high school graduates from participating campuses, with options for Texas residents regardless of citizenship status!
Our College & University Partners:
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Our model aligned with Commit’s True North goal
INFRASTRUCTURE: IT/data architecture supporting the personalized student journey while enabling mutual community accountability
Increasing Living Wage Attainment to 50% by 2040
through driving college and career readiness, enrollment, and completion across the student journey
Student Journey
Foundational Enablers
Outcomes
LEADERSHIP: Mutual Accountability, Community Champions, Community Coalition, Culture, Values, Trust, Strategy
FUNDING: Last Dollar Funding, Promise Backbone Organization, Enhanced Student Services and Supports
STRENGTHENING AND ALIGNING SYSTEMS, BUSTING BARRIERS, SUPPORTING STUDENTS AND FAMILIES
DREAM
PREPARE
ENROLL
PROGRESS
COMPLETE
EARN
Key Functions
Regional
Data Hub
Personalized
Pathways
Program
Management
Research &
Development
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Dallas County Promise by the Numbers
28,000 Dallas County Seniors eligible to complete Path Form
13 Districts or CMOs and 85 high schools to partner with in supporting students’ postsecondary enrollment
9 Institutions of Higher Education providing tuition funding and working to ensure student persistence/graduation
5 core staff members providing broad communication to students/families + building data + case management tools via Salesforce
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Required Applications for Tuition Coverage Eligibility
February 5, 2025
Submit your Promise Path form at www.DallasCountyPromise.org. Your Path form is only complete once submission confirmation email is received. Save your Promise ID!
January 15 – May 1, 2025 *By Partner Deadline
Complete Fall 2025 admission application to a Promise partner college or university. Include your SSN, if applicable!
Submit the 2025-2026 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and list the Promise Partner college or university of your interest OR submit the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) to the Promise Partner college or university of your interest, depending on your application eligibility.
1.
2.
3.
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DCP Student and Parent Supports
After submitting your Promise Path, you’ll have access to a variety of supports throughout the school year:
Most importantly, please remember your high school college counselor advisor are your most immediate and accessible support system!
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How College Promises in Texas Are Designed to
Engage Students and Promote Persistence
PANEL
Natalie Young-Williams
President/CEO
Phillip Fabian
Senior Director, College Readiness & Success
Melissa Peña-Montes
Director
PANEL FACILITATOR
Richard Tagle
Executive Director
E3 Alliance
SENSE MAKING
What touched your heart?
What really got you thinking?
What surprised you?
What questions to you still have?
What do we need to do to make this happen here?
LUNCH with
PROMISE LEADERS
Austin Promise Kickoff Event�February 2, 2024
Questions from February 2024 Promise Event
Alignment of community will lead to collective action
COMMUNITY
DESIGN
pathways?
STUDENTS
for postsecondary
WORRIES
ORGANIZATIONAL
What Now?
Need for Groundwork & Additional Knowledge
Feedback from February 2024 Promise Event
Alignment of community will lead to collective action
Alignment of community will lead to collective action.
We have an opportunity for coordinated action to change the trajectory for all students – on a path to transformation
and prosperity.
We have the spark we need to ignite.
Now is the time.
Let’s start to move with milestones and deadlines, so we can all see progress.
It’s finally happening our way –
the Austin way.”
The biggest error we could make is to not start now.
Consensus & Enthusiasm
Key Takeaways & Promise Progress
February - Hosted College Promise Kickoff
March - Learning Experience with Birmingham Promise
Spring - Developed College Promise Roadmap
May - Listening Session with students and leaders at LBJ High School
- Virtual Learning Session with Michelle Miller-Adams and Bridget Timmeney from the W.E. Upjohn Institute
June - College Promise National Conference in Phoenix
July – October – Coalition building and fundraising
November - Learning Experience with UT Researchers Denisa Gándara and Elizabeth Bell
December - Site Visit to Austin Community College
May - Reverse Site Visit wit Promise Leaders
Take the time
Provide learning opportunities
Recruit anchor partners
and secure investments
2024
2025
College Promise Roadmap
PHASE I
LEARNING
& EXPLORATION
JAN 2024 -June 2025
PHASE II
FEASIBILITY & PROGRAM DESIGN
JULY 2025-Dec 2026
PHASE III: IMPLEMENTATION
& ROLLOUT
JAN 2027-FALL 2028
and site visits
.
Let’s do this.
Let’s do this,
AUSTIN!