Our Work

Promise Neighborhoods Planning Grant

CTL was a partner with Berea College in a 12-month federal Promise Neighborhoods planning grant, one of 21 in the nation, and one of only two implemented in rural areas. The grant engaged the community in testing a continuum of promising interventions to address the educational needs of students in the three economically depressed rural Kentucky counties of Clay, Jackson, and Owsley. CTL’s work in the planning grant included:

  • The collection of baseline data in the areas of academics and arts and humanities
  • Foundational literacy development for English/Language Arts teachers
  • The piloting of CTL’s primary/elementary-level Artful Reading model which integrates arts and literacy through the use of award-winning children’s literature
  • The development and use of middle and high school college and career mentors

In addition to CTL, Berea College, and the three county school systems, partners in the planning grant included the Kentucky Folklife Program, which utilized folklorists and community scholars to research and present local art forms to the neighborhood, and the Cumberland Valley District Health Department, which assisted with the collection of data about student health and wellness.

Work during the Promise neighborhoods planning grant stage ended in Summer 2011, and informed development of a proposal for a longer-term implementation grant.

Learn more about the Promise Neighborhoods planning grant >