This website remains available as a historical record of materials developed during the December 2021–January 2026 Promise Neighborhoods technical assistance contract. Please note that this site is no longer actively updated. For the most current information, visit the U.S. Department of Education Promise Neighborhoods (PN) webpage.

Results by Term: Parent and Community Engagement

Postsecondary Success in Promise Neighborhoods

Author: The Center for the Study of Social Policy | Year of Publication: 2016

This promising practices guide is a resource for Promise Neighborhoods as they work to improve postsecondary outcomes for students.

Using Data to Make a Difference for Boston-Area Students at Risk of Homelessness

Author: Urban Institute | Year of Publication: 2016

This blog entry is a grantee spotlight on how a Boston-area Promise Initiative uses data to promote academic success and fight homelessness.

Preparing and Fielding High-Quality Surveys: Practical Strategies for Successfully Implementing Neighborhood and School Climate Surveys in Promise Neighborhoods

Author: Kaitlin Franks Hildner, Elizabeth Oo, Peter A. Tatian | Year of Publication: 2015

This document builds on earlier guidance on preparing and administering surveys in chapter 7 of Measuring Performance: A Guidance Document for Promise Neighborhoods on Collecting Data and Reporting Results. The document also expands on lessons learned from the experiences of Promise Neighborhoods implementation grantees to provide practical guidance on how to prepare and manage high-quality neighborhood and school surveys. 

School Readiness and Promise Neighborhoods

Author: First 5 LA | Year of Publication: 2015

This presentation explores school readiness research and the best practices and trends affecting school readiness. It also introduces First 5 LA's Early Childhood Education strategy.

A Developmental Pathway for Achieving Promise Neighborhoods Results

Author: Promise Neighborhoods Institute | Year of Publication: 2014

This important tool was developed to help Promise Neighborhood communities and the field at large better understand the external conditions and developmental milestones needed to build the cradle- to- career continuum and to achieve the goals and outcomes set forth in Promise Neighborhoods. The tool illustrates the developmental pathways necessary to achieve the Promise Neighborhoods vision.

Supporting Age-Appropriate Functioning in Promise Neighborhoods (GPRA 2)

Author: PolicyLink | Year of Publication: 2014

This webinar features best -practices and effective strategies Promise Neighborhoods are using to promote the age-appropriate functioning of young children in their communities. In doing so, this webinar aims to equip Promise Neighborhoods and other community leaders with the knowledge, tools, and resources to turn the curve on the baseline indicator for Government Performance and Results Act 2 (per previous 2013 guidance): the number and percentage of 3-year-olds and children entering kindergarten who demonstrate age-appropriate functioning.

The following experts are featured ion this webinar:

  • Michelle Palo, Project Services Director, Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ)
  • Andre Dukes, Family Academy Director, NAZ
  • Maureen Seiwert, NAZ Early Childhood Action Team Co-Leader, Executive Dir. of Early Childhood Education for Minneapolis Public Schools
  • Dianne Haulcy, NAZ Early Childhood Action Team Co-Leader, Office of Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges

Astoria Houses Neighborhood Survey for Zone 126 Promise Neighborhood, 2012

Author: Chris Narducci, Amanda Mireles, Jennifer Comey | Year of Publication: 2012

Zone 126 is a nonprofit neighborhood organization in Queens, New York City, that received a Promise Neighborhoods planning grant from the U.S. Department of Education in 2011. The Urban Institute developed a neighborhood survey for residents of Astoria Houses, a public housing development in the Zone 126 neighborhood, to support Zone 126’s needs assessment and planning process. Zone 126 used results from the survey to inform the initiative’s family and child-centered programming.

Impact in Place: A Progress Report on the Department of Education's Place-Based Strategy

Author: US Department of Education | Year of Publication: 2012

In 2010 and 2011, President Obama directed the Office of Management and Budget, the Domestic Policy Council, the National Economic Council, and the Office of Urban Affairs to conduct a comprehensive review of federal programs affecting places, the first of its kind in 30 years. Agencies were asked to consider how place matters to their work and how their policies affect the development of urban and rural areas and how well those places support their residents, in all aspects of their lives—education, health, housing, energy, and transportation.

Bringing Promise to Washington, DC

Author: Jennifer Comey, Molly M. Scott, Susan J. Popkin, and Elsa Falkenburger | Year of Publication: 2012

This brief highlights Washington DC's Promise Neighborhood Initiative (DCPNI) and its efforts starting in 2008, even before the grant began. Written after DPNI’s planning year, the brief describes planned activities and next steps in implementation.

Successful Research Collaborations: Rules of Engagement For Community-Based Organizations

Author: Harlem Children's Zone | Year of Publication: 2012

Community-based organizations (CBOs) are frequently asked to provide evidence of their organizational effectiveness. Both private and public funders increasingly want proof their dollars are producing the desired outcomes. As a result, many non-profits and CBOs have embraced a data-driven approach and found it has broader uses: As they begin to understand “what works,” they save time and money by choosing or keeping only the most effective and rigorously evaluated strategies that produce the strongest outcomes.