Pittsburgh Public Schools educators are working together to ensure that their students are able to take advantage of the Pittsburgh Promise.
The Pittsburgh Promise® provides up to $40,000 in scholarships for PPS students who meet eligibility requirements to attend accredited post-secondary schools in Pennsylvania. As a District, we know it is our responsibility to prepare students for Promise-eligibility and success after high school.
The Promise-Readiness Corps (PRC) is a program with proven success supporting students in 9th and 10th grades. PRC teams are groups of teachers, counselors, and social workers who work together to ensure that students transition successfully into high school and enter 11th grade ready to take advantage of The Promise.
- Most PRC teachers work with the same students during 9th and 10th grades, which encourages strong relationships with students and clear expectations in their classrooms.
- PRC teams take extra time to collaborate in order to address each students' academic and personal needs. By working as a team, educators can draw on each other's experience in supporting individual students.
- PRC team members have time set aside to advise students, which they use to discuss academic goals, college and career plans, or current events.
- The PRC has had a positive impact in the three schools where it has been implemented. In 2013-14 six out of eight eligible teams were recognized for achieving better than expected results with their students.