Today, Kaiser Permanente announced its award of a $500,000 grant to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Students of Promise program. Formerly Governor Strickland’s Closing the Achievement Gap program, the Students of Promise program is dedicated to providing guidance and available resources to 9th grade male students, helping them develop expectations of self and raise their educational standards. Special attention is focused on student promotion to the 10th grade, Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) preparation and test-taking skill and high school graduation.
Following the exhaustion of State funds for the Closing the Achievement Gap program, CMSD opted to keep the program functioning and absorb the cost. “It’s important that we invest money in resources that our students need most,” says Dr. Eugene Sanders, Chief Executive Officer for CMSD. “This program is making a difference in the lives of the young men that are involved. Generous donations from supporters such as Kaiser Permanente enable programs such as these to be sustained and the students benefit greatly from that.”
Kaiser Permanente Ohio’s Regional President Patricia Kennedy-Scott says, “The Cleveland Metropolitan School District is a valued partner and our collaboration is a centerpiece of Kaiser Permanente’s Community Benefit program in Northeast Ohio. I feel strongly about the positive impact these initiatives have on the community’s youth and Ohio’s future workforce. Kaiser Permanente Ohio is proud to be a supporter of the Students of Promise Program.”
