Cincinnati, Oh, Sept. 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StriveTogether, a national network of nearly 70 communities spanning 30 states and Washington, D.C., is naming Promise Partnership of Salt Lake as the first community to achieve Systems Transformation in the nation. This recognizes that the Promise Partnership is doing some of the most advanced work in the country to support children and families, leading to better outcomes for the community.
“We are humbled and grateful for StriveTogether’s recognition of the Promise Partnership with the Systems Transformation designation. This reflects the shared work and results of our partners’ efforts to reduce disparities, address systemic racism, meaningfully engage youth and families, and change the status quo in Utah,” said Bill Crim, president and chief executive officer, United Way of Salt Lake. “We continue to learn from the StriveTogether team, and from our friends and colleagues doing this work across the country. We will continue to push forward until every child has the opportunity to achieve their full potential.”
StriveTogether uses a framework that local organizations can use to develop their civic infrastructure to meet the unique needs of the community. To measure progress, this approach has five progressive gateways that provide milestones and benchmarks for communities to meet to provide equitable outcomes for children and families.
Since the Promise Partnership began its work in 2014, 67% of core outcomes are improving at a regional level and 52% of disparity gaps are closing. For example, in Promise South Salt Lake, graduation rates for refugee students are now the same as non-refugee students, and youth crime between 3:00-6:00 pm is down 66%. In addition, students are seeing significant academic improvement in third grade proficiency compared to similar schools without the partnership.
In StriveTogether’s framework, Systems Transformation is the highest possible designation, and it recognizes that the community is creating lasting change across the four main pillars of work: shared community vision, evidence-based decision making, collaborative action, and investment and sustainability. The work is rigorously measured and must meet the highest possible standards of change.
“This designation demonstrates what systems transformation actually looks like,” said Jennifer Blatz, president and CEO of StriveTogether. “The Promise Partnership is the first organization to achieve this, showing what is possible with data-driven equity work. They demonstrated the ability to not only maintain results, but to scale them up.”
The Promise Partnership created a sustainable policy infrastructure led by youth and families, resulting in advocacy for and implementation of policy changes across institutions and sectors to advance outcomes. They have implemented adaptable and innovative policy strategies such as a social impact bond (also known as a pay-for-success project) to secure ongoing investment from public and private providers.
About us
StriveTogether partners with nearly 70 communities across the country to advance equity so local success stories can become the reality for every child, everywhere. They work to transform failing systems using collaborative improvement and a proven framework for change. The StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network is closing disparity gaps in education, housing and so much more. Together, they impacted the lives of more than 14 million youth – more than half are children of color – across 30 states and Washington, D.C. Learn more strivetogether.org.
