SUMMER EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM RESEARCH

Research has proven that a student’s educational retention declines over the summer months. Many parents, especially those with the financial means, support and supplement their child’s education with summer educational and cultural programs. Pittsburgh’s educational and cultural scenes provide a wealth of summer opportunities for local students. However, based on preliminary informal research, there may be a disparity in the participation and access to these programs for low income/minority students. This disparity may have a causal relationship with the current achievement gap that already exists between low income/minority students and students who are from moderate to high income families.

PROJECT 2211

Project 2211 is a unique public-private partnership which allows significant investment in blighted urban neighborhoods using a consortium of smaller developers working in conjunction with Policy Innovations Institute and government. This innovative partnership utilizes both public and private dollars to rehabilitate vacant, blighted properties. This project infuses private capital into many areas that have been notoriously neglected. The City of Pittsburgh, along with Allegheny County, is inundated with numerous vacant, dilapidated properties in blighted areas. Many of these properties have been this way for years. They are not just an eyesore to the community, but also a safety hazard. Both the city and the county continually lose much needed tax revenue while these properties sit vacant. The cost to develop many of these properties outweighs the benefit; therefore providing no incentive for developers to invest their own capital in these blighted areas.

Note: Policy Innovations Institute is accepting general contractor applications for upcoming renovation projects. If you have a good work history, general liability insurance, and a line of credit, you may qualify. Please go to our applications page to download a copy of the application.

CAREER COUNSELING

The Board of Directors has approved a research study on the need to create realistic, accessible career introduction programs for low and moderate income junior and senior high students. PII is partnering with local businesses and universities, to examine this problem. The goal is to make sure students are provided with accessible, realistic and in-depth career development for local occupations. In turn, they will be able to map individual career plans to achieve those occupations and henceforth remain in this area for employment.