Benefits for Communities
Grad Nation Communities receive a variety of support and services to help end the dropout crisis, including recognition, access to knowledge and communication tools, professional development, and opportunities for networking with other communities and America’s Promise Alliance Partners. In addition, Grad Nation Communities that are home to two or more of the nation’s lowest-performing schools may receive direct technical assistance and funding.
In order to reach our Grad Nation goal, America’s Promise Alliance is focused on three critical elements:
-
Driving awareness
-
Creating connections
-
Sharing knowledge
Grad Nation Communities will receive support in the following areas in order to increase and enhance local efforts to end the dropout crisis. This support includes:
Access to the Grad Nation Community Impact Fund
Communities committing to the Grad Nation campaign will be eligible for the Grad Nation Community Impact Fund, which will provide seed grants to stimulate community engagement and investment to help transform the nation’s lowest-performing schools and surrounding communities.
Advocacy Support
Grad Nation Communities will receive guidance for driving awareness, building public will, and increasing adult and youth voice to sustain a successful national movement and increase high school graduation rates through action and policy on specific content areas.
Communication Tools
Grad Nation Communities will be able to brand their local work as part of a national initiative, will be listed on the America’s Promise website, and will have opportunities to highlight their local efforts on a national platform. Additionally, Grad Nation Communities will have access to a variety of resources and tools that will help communities with messaging, communication and outreach to support their collaborative efforts.
Creating Connections
Grad Nation Communities will become part of a select group working on the same goal to increase high school graduation rates in their communities. As part of this group, communities will be connected with networking opportunities, invitations to the annual Grad Nation Summit, a variety of content experts and, most importantly, peers working on similar issues in communities across the country.
Sharing Knowledge
Grad Nation Communities will have access to a wide range of research-based tools, knowledge and technical assistance, including webinars on a variety of topics and access to promising practices, tools, case studies and other supports, as appropriate.
Sustainability Tools
Grad Nation Communities will have access to resources and guidance on how to sustain and fund their community efforts. This support will focus on building and strengthening cross-sector collaborations, potential funding options for local work and case studies of other local efforts.
As the Grad Nation campaign moves forward, America’s Promise Alliance will solicit feedback from Grad Nation Communities in order to continue to build on the supports and offerings to help communities meet their goals and help us become a true Grad Nation.