Pittsburgh Promise coaches to remain fixture in city high schools after end of program
Officials with the Pittsburgh Promise announced Tuesday that the organization’s coaches will remain a permanent fixture in several Pittsburgh Public high schools even after its scholarship program ends in four years.
The announcement solidifies the coaching initiative, a four-year pilot program that started in 2020, which works to support post-secondary exploration and planning for under-resourced high school students. The program, which is currently available at Pittsburgh Public’s Carrick, Milliones and Perry high schools, will expand to Westinghouse in the fall.
“We have always known that barriers to higher education extend beyond financial limitations,” Saleem Ghubril, executive director of the Pittsburgh Promise, said in a statement. “Our 15 years of experience and our data prove that there are still persistent opportunity gaps for Black and low-income students, despite the availability of financial aid and scholarships. Promise Coaches are strategically placed to address these barriers. Their vital work is becoming the foundation of The Pittsburgh Promise.”
Continuation of the coaching program comes several months after the organization sent a reminder that its scholarship program would give its final awards to the class of 2028. Many questioned why the program, which has awarded $170 million to more than 11,000 students over the past 15 years, would end.
Now, the coaches will continue once the scholarship ends.
According to the Pittsburgh Promise, 10 coaches work in partnership with Pittsburgh Public Schools staff and community stakeholders to focus on providing personal career and post-secondary exploration, mental strengthening and appropriate interventions to every high school student starting in ninth grade. The goal is to remove barriers to grow the percentage of ninth graders who earn a post-secondary credential within 10 years to 80% by 2030.
Early data show that Promise coaches have had the most significant impacts among Black and economically disadvantaged students. And Promise eligibility and usage rates are on the rise at all three high schools while FAFSA completion rates have reached “unprecedented levels.”
“Our region’s workforce continues to depend on highly skilled and educated individuals who seek credentials beyond a high school diploma,” Mr. Ghubril said. “Coaching allows all of our young people, especially those who traditionally fight unfair barriers, to identify post-secondary pathways and careers that will lead to their, and our region’s, future success.”