While the funding didn’t arrive, the promise is still alive

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Education invited communities to apply for a grant from the Promise Neighborhoods Program.  Building off work done by Geoffrey Canada at the Harlem Children’s Zone, the Promise Neighborhoods Program was designed to provide funding to improve the educational and developmental outcomes of children in the nation’s most distressed communities. The funding could support efforts that:

• help leaders and members of the community understand the state of children in their neighborhoods;
• connect schools, families and the community to support children from the cradle through college to career;
• help agencies and programs work effectively together;
• help the public and private sectors work together to spread best practices beyond the pilot neighborhood; and
• institute a rigorous evaluation of the program.

Grant winners receive a one-year planning grant. In subsequent years, contingent on the availability of funds, the Department intends to conduct competitions for implementation grants, as well as competitions for new planning grants.

Seven of the 339 applications received by the Promise Neighborhoods Program came from Michigan. Data Driven Detroit served as a data resource three of our state’s applicants. Detroit’s Black Family Development applied to help transform the Osborn and Chadsey-Condon neighborhoods. Data Driven Detroit served as a data resource while City Connect Detroit assisted in the project coordination and proposal writing.

Data Driven Detroit also met with the team from Focus Hope which submitted a proposal for their neighborhood, and provided data support to an effort on the city’s east side.

On September 21, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the 21 recipients who will share $10 million.  While no Detroit applicant was chosen to become a Promise Neighborhood, the Guidance Center in Southgate received $500,000 to work with the River Rouge School District.  We congratulate the Guidance Center and look forward to learning more about their effort over the next year.

Of course, Detroit feels a deep sense of disappointment at being passed over for a Promise Neighborhoods grant. But while working on the proposals, I was impressed by the dedication and sense of possibility that the communities generated as they imagined a new environment that’s supportive of children. During the proposal writing process, the message was clear among all of the Detroit applicants: the “promise” would move forward, with or without the grant.  

The Promise Neighborhoods Program has served as a key driver for discussions across the country.  The release of the documentary, “Waiting for Superman,” coupled with the “Education Nation”   series on NBC News this week, and the education conference in Washington, D.C., have served to raise the level of discussion around education at all levels. We must make sure that this week’s “buzz” does not fizzle but, rather, leads to a clarion call in Detroit, the region, the state and the nation, that educational reform must occur at all levels.

 

National Community Activist Has Hopes for Detroit

Geoffrey Canada, founder of the Harlem Children's Zone

The second day (Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009) of the Promise Neighborhood Conference in New York opened by a welcome from the recently re-elected Mayor of New York – Michael Bloomberg.

The first panel of the day consisted of Otis Johnson Mayor of Savannah, GA; Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, NJ (and star of the Sundance Channel’s documentary, “Brick City”); Ron Sims, Deputy Secretary of HUD; and Adolfo Carrion, Director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs.  Two of the panelists — Johnson and Sims–were there during the civil rights struggles; the other two, recognized that many battles remain to achieve equality of opportunity for all children.  I was inspired and overwhelmed by the knowledge that the White House brought both generations into its circle and allowed them to tell their stories.

Several messages came to me loud and clear in that session:

1.  Excellence does not exist in a vacuum.

2.  We tend to operate in a “State of SEDENTARY AGITATION.”

3.  We all know what the problems are, but yet we all continue working in different directions.

4.  We need to articulate a SHARED SET OF VALUES for our city and region.

5.  A Zip code should just be an address,  NOT a predictor of life outcomes.

6.  The only impediment we have is ourselves.

I was fortunate enough to join Geoffrey Canada (pictured), founder of the Harlem Children’s Zone, on an elevator ride in the hotel.  After a “fawning” hello, I told him that I was sorry to have missed his presentation at the Independent Sector conference in Detroit last week – November 6.

He responded with, “I am rooting for Detroit.”  I assured him that WE ALL ARE!

12 Questions with Kurt Metzger

Kurt Metzger, Director of the Detroit-Area Community Information System center

Kurt Metzger recently joined City Connect Detroit as the Director of the new Detroit Area Community Information System center, also known as D-ACIS.  Kurt has previously held posts with the United States Census Bureau where he served as Director, covering Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia; and a Senior Research Analyst and Director for Wayne State University’s Michigan Metropolitan Information Center.  More recently he was the Research Director for the United Way for Southeast Michigan.  Having spent the last 30+ years in metropolitan Detroit, Kurt is a well known and prominent figure on the data scene.

Q.  Is Detroit Area Community Information System the actual name of the new center?

A.  Detroit Area Community Information System is a working title.  We will probably come up with a name that is a little catchier, with a better acronym so that people will have a better idea of what we are trying to do.  But for right now the center is called D-ACIS.

 

Q.  Can you explain the purpose of the new D-ACIS Center?

A.  D-ACIS is a comprehensive regional data collection, analysis and delivery system that will address a broad variety of issues and conditions facing Detroit and the region.  By having more comprehensive, neighborhood focused data and information, we in the region are in a better position to receive more federal, state and other funding to address vital issues and conditions and improve the quality of life for people in the entire metropolitan Detroit area.

 

Q.  How will D-ACIS be funded?

A.  The Skillman Foundation and Kresge Foundation awarded a three-year, $1.85 million grant to City Connect Detroit who is serving as an incubator and fiduciary to D-ACIS.  The new data Center is temporarily housed at City Connect Detroit’s downtown office.  After the 3 years, we expect to have some foundation funding; but the idea is for D-ACIS to become its own 501(c)3.  We want to develop the capacity to do analysis and research projects to actually start to bring money in and become self sustaining.

 

Q.  How and why did CCD become involved in the creation of D-ACIS?

A.  Several years ago, City Connect Detroit created a project called the Detroit Data Partnership (DDP) that maintains data-sharing agreements with numerous organizations.  DDP was funded by the Skillman and Kresge Foundations.  Based on the success of DDP, City Connect Detroit wrote and was awarded a grant by the Skillman and Kresge Foundations for the creation of D-ACIS.  Because of City Connect Detroit’s track record and expertise, the foundation community believed the organization would be the perfect place to incubate D-ACIS.

 

Q.  What is the overall mission of City Connect Detroit?

A.  Under the leadership of Dr. Geneva J. Williams, founder, president and CEO of City Connect Detroit, the organization’s mission is to create and facilitate cross-sector collaborations to aid metropolitan Detroit nonprofits, governmental agencies, businesses and others in obtaining national, state and local funding.

 

Q.  What neighborhood focused issues will D-ACIS address?

A.  The neighborhood focused issues will be detailed down to the parcel level, and will include, parks, recreation and green space; abandoned buildings, vacant land, blight and dumping; retail and services attractions; job availability; poverty; educational opportunities; crime and safety; and health and medical issues.  We’re looking at components and sustainability in healthy neighborhoods and ways to make sure those components are in every neighborhood in Detroit and the region. 

 

Q.  What excites you about D-ACIS?

A.  I have always believed in the power of collecting, sharing and presenting accurate and timely data and information to stakeholders who serve as catalysts to facilitate successful outcomes.  So, I’m excited to see the creation of D-ACIS because it will address a broad variety of issues facing Detroit and the region and perhaps break down a few of our geographic and racial barriers.

 

Q.  What are some of the benefits of such a center?

A.  In addition to having a region that shares vital information that will benefit all, D-ACIS will seek membership in the Urban Institute’s National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership (NNIP), which is comprised of 31 urban information and data centers throughout the nation.  Once we become a member, the center will be in line to compete for national foundation designated funding opportunities available to members only.  This will really put Detroit and the region on the map, so to speak, as far as developing a culture of data sharing for positive change.

 

Q.  If there are 31 urban information and data centers across the United States, are there models that are more attune to what’s going on in Detroit and the region?

A.  We have looked at several centers, but feel that Metro Chicago Information Center and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland are great examples.  Case Western’s New Cando is really an excellent model for us.

 

Q.  What is the biggest challenge that the D-ACIS center faces?

A. The biggest challenge is just getting people and organizations to share information.  People and organizations have the tendency to keep information close to the vest because  they often worry that information shared will be used in negative ways.  So we have to convince people that there are no agendas but to improve the quality of life for residents of Detroit.  And as I said earlier, it’s important that we break down a few of our geographic and racial barriers.  We, as a region, must figure out how to work together – city and suburbs – because this region can’t succeed unless the city of Detroit succeeds.

 

Q. When will the center be fully operational?

A. I’m projecting that the center will be fully operational in the Spring, 2009.

 

Q. What is your ultimate goal for D-ACIS?

A.  My ultimate goal is for D-ACIS to be a one-stop center, a central clearinghouse, where accurate and complete data and information can be accessed that ultimately moves this region forward.  This is an outstanding opportunity for Detroit and the region.  It’s an opportunity to show that the Detroit region can develop a culture of data sharing, which will allow us to tackle the “data silos” in which we tend to operate.

 

This interview was conducted by Donald James of Master Media.