Since the Kalamazoo Promise was announced, enrollment in the school district has grown by 16%, test scores have improved, and a greater proportion of high-school graduates are attending college.
[4][5] Research published by the Upjohn Institute in 2015 shows that the Kalamazoo Promise significantly increases college enrollment, college credits attempted, and credential attainment, and the researchers conclude that such scholarships can both increase educational attainment and provide net economic benefits.
El Dorado, Arkansas; Denver, Colorado; Detroit, Michigan;[7] New Haven, Connecticut;[8] and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania are just a handful of the nearly two dozen communities that have similar "Promise" programs.
[12] Yet as Ted C. Fishman notes in a New York Times Magazine piece, the Kalamazoo Promise "stokes hometown pride, prods citizens to engage and pulls businesses and their leaders into the public sphere."
Upjohn Institute[17] was also awarded a grant to conduct research on employment data and salaries of graduates which are projected in 2019.
The Strada Education Network grant worth $360,000 will allow the Institute to research how students can be employed after their graduation, their probable earnings, and residence.
[19] Kalamazoo Promise recognized teachers and staff from West Michigan who made a considerable impact on their students in June 2018.