Equitable Educational Attainment: An update on our approach

For many decades, education has been a key focus of Grand Rapids Community Foundation’s work in Kent County. Our region’s overall health and future depend on quality education and student opportunities. We create access to opportunity so West Michigan’s future workforce will have the skills and education needed to succeed and to give back themselves.

We have used multiple tools of philanthropy—including scholarships, grantmaking and community leadership initiatives—to make an impact. Our first scholarships, for example, were awarded in the 1940s to address the nursing shortage. Today, the program has grown to be the largest private scholarship provider in Kent County.

Our work has constantly evolved. Yet in all the projects, grants and programs we’ve pursued, we’ve been committed to making sure things like race, ethnicity or household income don’t define a student’s opportunity to succeed.

Diana Sieger, Community Foundation president.

EVOLUTION AND CHANGE DURING GROWTH

A milestone in our long-term commitment to education was establishing Challenge Scholars. This place-based initiative offers a way for families on Grand Rapids’ west side to cover the costs of education after graduating from Union High School.

Our Challenge Scholars partners’ support has allowed the Community Foundation to adapt and evolve the program since it began nearly a decade ago. We have recognized new opportunities and responded to emerging challenges.

Early on, additional pathways were created, expanding opportunities for students from both Harrison Park School and Westwood Middle School to become Challenge Scholars. Key partners, like Grand Rapids Public Schools, Kent School Services Network and Westside Collaborative, built deep connections on Grand Rapids’ west side and ensured supports for students and their families extended outside the classroom. As the west side changed and housing prices rose, the Community Foundation partnered with Dwelling Place to build affordable housing.

While our goal of educational attainment has stayed the same, so much has changed since the first Challenge Scholars were inducted. We’ve found reflection to be a key practice, and evolution a necessary skill to create the conditions for student success and live up to our purpose in a changing environment.

Cris Kutzli, Challenge Scholars director.

OUR RESPONSE TODAY AND FOCUS ON OUR NORTH STAR

As the Community Foundation has crystallized our focus on our North Star and racial, social and economic equity, we’ve applied our learnings to our work in education.

• We are learning from our evaluation and responding to the external landscape and new opportunities, including the Grand Rapids Promise scholarship.

• We are listening to community, trusting the agency and decision making of those with first-hand experience.

• We are interrogating our approach and increasing focus on systemic barriers and inequities that affect students.

Living into our vision of equitable educational attainment requires we keep learning and evaluating not just what we do, but how we do it. That’s why we have pulled together a group of community leaders with a range of expertise, experiences and perspectives— particularly those who have worked closely with students and families and have a role along the educational pipeline. Together with Community Foundation team, they have engaged in deep research, systems mapping and storytelling work to identify the strengths and opportunities in our current approach.

We know responsiveness and adaptation are keys to long-term success, overcoming inequities and realizing a thriving community. We are excited about the possibilities that await us.

DECADES OF IMPACT: Responding to Changes in the Education Landscape

1987-2006

The Excellence in Education program invests in student success by offering minigrants to classroom teachers.

1999

Led by the philanthropic sector, the Education Reform Initiative responded to regional conversations about the quality of public education. In 2003, the Straight A Plan of recommendations was released.

2005

Kent School Services Network established a community school model, ensuring students have access to physical and mental health and human services within their schools.

2007-2013

The Community Foundation managed the Meijer Good Schools program, recognizing and rewarding high performing schools.

2010

We identified our education program goal as “First-generation, low-income students successfully complete a degree or high-quality credential.”

2013

Our Challenge Scholars program began when the first cohort of students, class of 2020, enrolled.

2017

Grand Rapids Public Schools applied for a Promise Zone designation.

2018

The Dream Fund establishes a community-led committee who make grant funding decisions to foster student success. Since 2018, nearly $300,000 has been awarded to classrooms, school programs and community groups.

2020

Promise Zone Authority Board, of which Community Foundation President Diana Sieger is a member, voted to activate the Grand Rapids Promise scholarship. Our first class of Challenge Scholars graduated!