Say Yes to Education: RFA’s Five-Year Evaluation of the Cleveland Chapter

Say Yes to Education, a scholarship guarantee program, recently adopted the City of Cleveland, guaranteeing a last-dollar college scholarship and wraparound support services for K-12 students and their families. As the research partner for this initiative RFA will conduct a five-year study of the implementation and impact of Say Yes Cleveland. RFA’s evaluation of the Cleveland Chapter of Say Yes to Education represents a major advance in the research on Say Yes and college promise programs more broadly. Our comprehensive and integrated design seeks to understand how the implementation of the three Say Yes components – Scholarships Incentive, Collaborative Governance, Pathway to Postsecondary Education and Career – work together to drive impacts for students, families, schools, and the community. In addition, the evaluation aims for the first time to study conditions necessary for long-term sustainability, and, in partnership with Reinvestment Fund, the return on investment of the initiative.