Promise scholarships have been regarded as key to economic growth in many states and municipalities. The idea of providing funding for college-bound students within a designated area as an incentive for remaining in that same area post-college seems harmless enough.
However, evidence taken from reported outcomes of Promise programs such as Georgia Hope show that these merit-based scholarships have contributed to racial and socioeconomic gaps between Black and White students in terms of college access. Are Promise scholarships fulfilling their intended purpose if they benefit only the most privileged populations? This Black former Promise scholar says no.
Promise programs are known to reinforce inequality between Black and White students as a result of the eligibility requirements. Georgia Hope, for example, was created in the early 1990s to provide scholarships for high-achieving students in the state, and has since disproportionately advantaged middle- and upper-income White students as a result of its selective nature and merit-based criteria. Georgia Hope and many other Promise programs were initially concentrated in areas where economic development and “brain-drain” were major concerns.
The illusion of the success of these programs has contributed to a rapid push by other states and municipalities to create and expand Promise programs across the country. The Pittsburgh Promise, a program I am personally connected to, was part of this expansion.
The employment history of Blacks in Pittsburgh began with use of them as strikebreakers in the growing manufacturing industry before the First Great Migration. The Black population rapidly increased after the First and Second Great Migrations. When deindustrialization occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, a shift in the economy from industrial to service-based contributed to the mass exodus of Blacks from Pittsburgh. Not only did the city’s overall population decrease considerably, but the Black population also decreased (from 105,000 in 1970 to 94,000 in 2000).
Public schools in the city suffered in part due to this population decrease, as lower enrollments meant less financial support. Additionally, due to White flight, Black students became overrepresented within the underfunded public schools, reflected in Pittsburgh’s persistent issues with residential and educational segregation.
A recent report by A+ Schools noted a gap between Black and White students eligible for the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship, with 83 percent of White students eligible compared to 51 percent of Black students. As a Black woman, Promise scholar and Pittsburgh native, I feel disappointed and guilty about the current state of educational opportunities for Black public school students in my hometown. While I benefited from the scholarship, so many other students that share my background are not receiving the opportunity.
