Comprehensive community initiatives in education reform: The case of Say Yes to Education

•The SYTE model had not yet been fully documented and described.•Terms of engagement specify core principles consistent with the 2013 SYTE manual.•The SYTE initiative was not fully implemented as planned in Syracuse.

Say Yes to Education is a national non-profit committed to dramatically increasing high school and college graduation rates for inner-city youth. An educational foundation equipped with resources and a vision of change, Say Yes is defining a different approach to city-wide turnaround, and youth developmental and achievement outcomes are the measures of success. The foundation has developed an education improvement model that involves community wide collaboration, incorporates curriculum, instruction, social emotional, and health supports into a coherent approach, and uses data to inform intervention and planning. Say Yes has been engaged in scaling implementation at the community level in two cities. These initiatives are unique ventures in the degree to which community stakeholders have organized around a single initiative, refocusing their resources to support Say Yes change strategies. This study attempts to understand both the local conditions necessary and the strategies used by Say Yes to engage community in youth-focused change.