Social Sector Hero Spotlight: Mission Promise Neighborhood

Social Sector Hero Spotlights tell stories of exemplary social and public sector organizations that are making measurable differences in their communities. The following spotlight is an excerpt from “Social Sector Hero – How Government and Philanthropy Can Fund for Impact” by Adam Luecking. You can download the book for free here and read all 16 Social Sector Hero Spotlights. 

October 17, 2022

In 2012, The Mission Economic Development Agency worked with the San Francisco Unified School District, the Office of Mayor Ed Lee, the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University, United Way of the Bay Area, and various other partners from the Mission District to submit their proposal for a ‘Mission Promise Neighborhood’ to the Department of Education. In December 2012, they were selected to receive a Promise Neighborhoods Implementation grant.

As expected, Mission Promise Neighborhood (MPN) reported on the required 15 GPRA community indicators (community Indicators of success that serve as a basis for how all Promise Neighborhoods report on their success). MPN understood the importance of all the dimensions of child success that the 15 measures represented, but they felt that they could maximize their impact further by narrowing their focus. Based on community data, MPN found one of the most important GPRA measures to be the “Percentage of children entering school ready to learn,” since studies showed that being ready for kindergarten is a predictor of third-grade, high school, and college proficiency. This measure served as a “North Star” to guide most of their early learning efforts.

Focusing on ensuring children were entering school ready to learn led to many key discoveries, particularly regarding school readiness and equity, that allowed MPN to focus their time, resources, and efforts on activities likely to accelerate change. In the 2018 to 2019 school year, MPN found that Latinx children in the Mission District were less likely to be school-ready at kindergarten than other children. The numbers showcased the disparity: the school-readiness average for schools in the Mission District was 48 percent overall, with White students at 65 percent, Black students at 50 percent, and Latinx students at 42 percent — the lowest percentage for all students in the report. 

Revealing this disparity allowed MPN to design programs and strategies around impacting the children with the worst results first. They did this by providing children and families with “wraparound support” (engaging people who are already in the child’s life to assess needs and develop more individualized support plans). 

MPN employs a two-generation, whole-child approach in providing its children and families with wraparound support. They undertake high-quality and culturally responsive early care and education programs, along with broad family engagement and support. Partner organizations have developed strong relationships and refer families across the network to ensure they get all the services they need. MPN also emphasizes building parent leadership through its Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors Leadership Program, since moms and dads serve as their child’s first and most important teachers — and their best advocates. Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors has an evidence-based curriculum made by Latinx families for Latinx families. 

Like the Department of Education’s national Promise Neighborhoods program, MPN realized that continued alignment would be a critical factor in its success. This would involve meeting with key players regularly and establishing a system for continual improvement and evaluation. This is why, early on, MPN began convening early learning partners to develop a shared agenda around school readiness and to build targeted and aligned strategies. MPN continued to develop a strong network of partners that met regularly to share data, create shared measures, implement shared strategies, and figure out ways to engage families in culturally responsive and authentic ways. To support continued alignment, MPN utilizes Results-Based Accountability tools like Turn the Curve Thinking to ensure data and strategy discussions translate into action. 

So, what was the measurable impact of all this? A longitudinal cohort study implemented in 2018 demonstrated that four-year-olds whose families participated in MPN services had stronger scores in developmental assessments performed by teachers (across all domains of early-childhood success). Preschoolers who graduated from the MPN program and entered kindergarten in Mission District elementary schools were found to be 71 percent ready, compared to the wider Mission District average of 48 percent for that year. For Latinx children, the results were even higher, at 72 percent readiness. This means Latinx children in the Mission Promise Neighborhood outperformed the entire Mission District average by 24 percentage points.

In addition to its school readiness success, 80 percent of all Mission Latinx four-year-old children are now in preschool. Since its inception, the Latinx high school graduation rate in the Mission district has also increased by 18 percent.

Liz Cortez (Associate Director of MPN) and Ada Freund (Early Learning Manager of MPN), who graciously donated their time and assistance in developing this Hero’s Spotlight story, have noted the following three most important lessons learned around making their measurable progress for Latinx children: 

1. Culture shift:

MPN partners work together to break down organizational silos, using a Collective Impact approach and RBA tools. This means working differently in various ways, running the gamut from developing a shared agenda for approaching school readiness to consistently sharing data. 

2. Co-creation and capacity-building: 

MPN partners have learned that it is most impactful to co-create with the community; in this case, with families of young children building their capacity to inform and lead this work. 

3. Continuous improvement: 

MPN partners are building a culture of continuous improvement that focuses on data review and strategy improvement. This requires constant adaptation based on community needs, such as those presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

MPN’s journey to success shows us that you really don’t have to be “all things to all people” to experience growth and measurable success as a funder. The 15 GPRA Promise Neighborhoods metrics all represent critical areas of childhood development and success. But this doesn’t mean that every single Promise Neighborhoods grantee has to focus on the same thing to achieve progress for children. Flexibility is also a big part of the equation for success. And without the flexibility to create their own focus, MPN may not have had the capacity to design their programming around lifting up Latinx children. MPN’s story also shows us how a laser focus on Measurable Common Goals can be sustained through the creation of processes for strategy development, measurement, and continuous improvement (e.g. regular meetings to evaluate progress with key community partners). 

Enjoyed this story? Want to learn more about the strategies Mission Promise Neighborhood and other organizations are using to achieve measurable, equitable results? Download a free copy of Social Sector Hero today and read all 16 Social Sector Hero Spotlights.