Gene Maeroff is the author of “Reforming a School System, Reviving a City: The Promise of Say Yes to Education in Syracuse.”
That was the heart of the message delivered during a panel discussion Sunday at a national seminar of the Education Writers Association.
The message—which arrived by way of journalists who have covered the citywide scholarships initiatives in their respective locales—came with a few caveats, though.
One caveat is that the promise of free or reduced tuition doesn’t always lead to the same degree of success for all students, so there may be a need for additional efforts to make sure all students are prepared to take full advantage of the scholarships being offered.
Another caveat is not to expect success overnight.
“This is long-term stuff,” said Gene Maeroff, author of the recently-released book, “Reforming a School System, Reviving a City: The Promise of Say Yes to Education in Syracuse.”
“You have to have patience and know that it’s not instant,” said Maeroff, who tracked the Say Yes to Education initiative in Syracuse, which offers a free college education to all of the city’s high school graduates provided they maintain a 2.0 GPA in college, from 2009 through 2013 to write his book.
