In the early 1990s, Sevier County, Tennessee—Dolly Parton’s home county—faced a serious dropout problem, with more than 30% of students not finishing high school. In 1991, Parton launched the Buddy Program. Seventh- and eighth-graders chose a partner and signed a pledge to help each other stay in school; if both graduated, each would receive $500 from Parton.
Introduction Dolly Parton’s $500 Promise That Changed an Entire County In the early 1990s, Sevier...