Mich. scholarship program inspires states

KALAMAZOO, Mich., July 2 (UPI) -- A program in Kalamazoo, Mich., that pays for students' college if they attend district schools is inspiring other cities to adopt similar plans, scholars say.

About a dozen cities, including Pittsburgh, Denver and El Dorado, Ark., have adopted scholarship programs similar to the one in Kalamazoo since it began in 2005, USA Today reported Wednesday.

"The spread of this movement nationally is something nobody really expected," said Michelle Miller-Adams, visiting scholar at the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Kalamazoo.

Officials traveled from 82 cities to Kalamazoo to discuss beginning similar scholarship programs, the report said.

Most cities considering similar scholarship programs are sticking to versions of Kalamazoo's system, school officials say.

The program pays for tuition depending on how long students are enrolled in Kalamazoo public schools and whether they graduate from them.

Students who began attending Kalamazoo schools in kindergarten are awarded 100 percent tuition, while students who began in ninth grade are awarded 65 percent, USA Today said.