The Long Beach College Promise (The Promise) extends the promise of a college education to every student in the Long Beach Unified School District to create a more vibrant community. This innovative and award-winning initiative is transforming the lives of students and the city’s economic future by placing higher education within reach for all. The Promise aims to fulfill the academic potential of all youth by offering guidance and continuous support along every step of the student experience, from pre-K through college and onto career and life. Fueling The Promise is a dynamic partnership between the Long Beach Unified School District, Long Beach City College, California State University, Long Beach and the City of Long Beach. The Promise creates a culture of college expectation and supports students from cradle to career. In providing universal access to early education, mandatory college tours in the 4th and 5th grades, internships, a tuition-free year at city college and guaranteed admission to CSULB, The Promise increases college readiness and improves graduation rates among Long Beach youth. A 2016 Economic Development Blueprint recognized the importance of expanding job opportunity in key industry clusters in Long Beach. The Promise re-tools curriculum and aligns entrepreneurial training with high needs sectors and citywide priorities. The Promise powers California’s economy by raising the adult educational attainment rate in the entire Southern California region. Simply stated, The Long Beach College Promise is a promise of a college education for every Long Beach youth. This is visionary.

1. THE LONG BEACH
COLLEGE
PROMISESUCCESS BEGINS TODAY

2. THE LONG BEACH COLLEGE PROMISE
INTRODUCTION
The Long Beach College Promise extends the promise of a
college education to every student in the Long Beach Unified
School District.
MAKING PROMISETHE

3. THE LONG BEACH COLLEGE PROMISE
BACKGROUND
PROMISE GOALS & OBJECTIVES
⟶World-class education from preschool through college graduation
⟶Increases in preschool attendance, internship participation, college
preparatory course enrollment, and community college transfers to CSULB
⟶Reduce and eliminate achievement gaps

4. THE LONG BEACH COLLEGE PROMISE
GOALS
1.Increase college participation rates for
underrepresented students
2.Increase completions of Associate
Degrees for Transfer
3.Increase completion of Bachelor’s degrees
4.Accelerate time to completion
Governor’s Innovation Award
(GIA) / Pathway Initiative
PROMISE PROGRAMS & ACTIVITIES
BTG is funded by the James Irvine Foundation.
GOALS
1. Support the goals and mission of The
Long Beach College Promise
2. Become a regional exemplar of K-16
partners working together to ensure a
smooth transition to postsecondary for
high school graduates.
Bridging the Gap

5. THE LONG BEACH COLLEGE PROMISE
ORIGINALITY & CREATIVITY
 At the forefront of national movement (The America’s College Promise)
 Recognized by The Atlantic and The New York Times, the Broad Foundation and the
James Irvine Foundation
Original:
Unique:
Creative:
 All city youth are considered Promise students – they do not
need to opt in
 Successful at building deeply aligned educational institutions to
provide support for students
 Launched an Internship Challenge in 2015, creating opportunity for early career
exposure

6. THE LONG BEACH COLLEGE PROMISE
IMPACT OF THE PROMISE
Metric Actual performance achieved to date
4th and 5th Grade College Tours Nearly 100,000 Promise students have toured both LBCC
and CSULB
Advanced Placement Exams LBUSD has seen an 82.4% increase in the last 4 years
Free-College 13,000 students have gained tuition-free college at LBCC
Increased LBUSD students
completing bachelor’s degrees
at CSULB
6 year graduation rate of 63.5% (2010 cohort) with the
goal of raising to 73% by 2020
Increase LBCC transfer students
completing bachelor’s degrees
at CSULB
4 year graduation rate of 78.5%

7. THE LONG BEACH COLLEGE PROMISE
LEADERSHIP & COLLABORATION
Commitment by the leadership across each
of the 3 institutions and the mayor of Long
Beach to work collaboratively to ensure
student success
Establishment of common goals and metrics
for the Promise
Includes key stakeholder organizations
throughout the Long Beach community

8. THE LONG BEACH COLLEGE PROMISE
SUSTAINABILITY OF THE PROMISE
Scalability:
Sustainability:
 Replicated throughout the state and nation
 Inspired the launch of President Obama’s America’s College Promise
 In California, new promises include:
o Fresno, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Oakland, Riverside, Sacramento and San Bernardino
 100% of LBUSD students (79,000) are Promise Students
 The duties of The Promise are built into the CEO positions for the educational institutions
 Community leaders expect educational leaders and the city to work together to improve
outcomes for all residents