Dive Brief:

• America’s Promise Alliance's Center for Promise released three case studies this week highlighting how communities can collaborate to improve outcomes for youth.
• The studies detail how various parties in communities located in Atlanta, Orlando, and New Orleans worked together to give local students academic, physical, and social programs.
• The particular efforts examined include the East Lake Foundation (ELF) in Georgia, Parramore Kidz Zone (PKZ) in Florida, and New Orleans Kids Partnership (NOKP) in Louisiana.

Dive Insight:

This batch of case studies deals with graduation rates in a less overt manner, focusing on community groups creating more opportunities for children — but schools still have a role here, too, as leaders at the school and district level can help organize and facilitate this sort of collaboration between organizations in the community.

America's Promise Alliance is probably best known for its recent efforts in seeing an increase in national graduation rates. Last April, in collaboration with numerous other organizations, it released its 2014 Building a GradNation report. The report spotlighted strides made in the U.S. graduation rate, which at the time was at an all-time high of 80%. Recent data revealed the rate has since increased to 81%. Last week, the organization and its other GradNation partners sent a letter to Congress asking legislators to continue holding states accountable for their graduation rates as they move to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.