GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Grand Valley State University's Johnson Center for Philanthropy has received a $1 million grant to study a state program aimed at connecting K-12 students and their families to health, safety and education services.
Researchers will examine whether the Department of Human Services’ Pathways to Potential program – launched in 2012 at schools in Detroit, Saginaw, Flint and Pontiac – is meeting its goals, said Jodi Petersen, a senior researcher at the Johnson Center’s Community Research Institute.
“Our hope,” she said, “is to see what sort of impact Pathways to Potential is having on kids, on their families, the school and the greater community, and then help the government use that information for decision making.”
Related: One Kent County school program is being used as a model in Detroit, other cities
In an attempt at convenience, Pathways places DHS caseworkers inside schools. The idea is that parents can learn about and receive services by stopping by their child’s school as opposed to making a special trip to a government office.
DHS Director Maura Corrigan said attendance has improved at schools that are part of the Pathways program.
“DHS welcomes the opportunity to have an independent evaluation of this exciting new projects to help families reach their full potential,” she said in a statement.
The $1 million grant that's funding the study was donated by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
The study, expected to take three years to complete, will examine 169 schools in 13 counties across Michigan. The counties are: Genesee, Kalamazoo, Lapeer, Macomb, Midland, Newaygo, Muskegon, Oakland, Ogemaw, Roscommon, Saginaw, St. Clair and Wayne.
Pathways is based in part upon a program in Kent County. The Kent School Services Network, which partners with seven districts in the county, including Grand Rapids Public Schools, brings health and human services into school buildings, according to its website.
Petersen said researchers from the Johnson Center will study the different ways the Pathways program has been implemented. They’ll also examine the program’s return on investment, and whether children perform better in schools with strong connections to human service agencies.
We really want to study that “and think carefully about how these funds are being used to make sure we’re having the best outcomes possible for kids,” she said.
Brian McVicar covers education for MLive and The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at bmcvicar@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter