The issue

One of the most critical problems in Houston and America is the achievement gap. By the time minority students reach 9 th grade, if they have not dropped out of school, their achievement levels are about four years behind other young people. As a result, minorities obtain college degrees at only half the rate of white students. This issue of low high school graduation and college attendance rates among disadvantaged minorities, not only negatively affects the lives of the students involved, but ultimately impacts our city and nation.

What is Project GRAD

Project GRAD is a highly successful, comprehensive, nonprofit education reform program that strives to improve the quality of curriculum and enhance teaching skills to benefit children from pre-kindergarten through college. For the past 10 years, Project GRAD has created a more effective educational environment for students and staff alike by combining specific proven curricula, teacher training, community and parental involvement, and ongoing support.

The model emphasizes a solid foundation of skills in reading and math, but also helps to build self-discipline, provide resources to support at-risk children and their families and, through scholarship support, make the dream of college become a reality for many who never believed it possible.

Mission

To ensure a quality public school education for all children in economically-disadvantaged communities in Houston and nationwide, resulting in increased high school graduation rates, better college preparedness and increased college attendance rates among at-risk students. Specifically, its goal is to increase high school graduation rates to 80 percent and of those graduates, enable 50 percent to enter and complete college.

How it works

Through its partnership with the Houston Independent School District (H.I.S.D.), Project GRAD addresses five obstacles to student success at school and home:

1. Achievement in math: Project GRAD Move It Math utilizes a variety of educational tools to address the unique needs of students with different learning styles. Teachers receive extensive, ongoing staff development. Students experience early introduction of important concepts that greatly enhances their motivation and self-esteem in kindergarten and the program prepares them to advance to middle school.
2. Successful literacy: Success for All reading program developed by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Educational Research Center is a comprehensive approach to reading with intensive one-on-one interaction to maximize learning opportunities and identify and resolve learning difficulties. The program is guided by two main principles:  students need to be successful the first time they are taught and schools need to organize all their resources to ensure this success.
3. Improved classroom environment: The unique Consistency Management and Cooperative Discipline classroom system provides a framework in which students and teachers work together to establish rules for classroom behavior. Students are responsible for managing classroom tasks, allowing more time for teachers to build self-image, self-discipline and self-management skills in the children.
4. Increased parental and community engagement: Communities In Schools and Parent University, are two programs that combine social services with parental involvement and college awareness. Project GRAD places social service professionals in each school to help students solve problems that distract them from schoolwork. Teachers and parents visit the homes and families of students to introduce them to Project GRAD and encourage them to sign a contract that commits their children to the academic expectations of the scholarship program. In addition, the Parent University program gives parents the tools to actively and meaningfully support the education of their children.
5. College scholarship support: For all students who fulfill the program requirements, Project GRAD provides a $4,000 scholarship to attend any accredited college or university in the United States.

Additional support

• Mentoring: Project GRAD encourages a community/school/business partnership to provide students with mentors and tutors.
• Innovative fine arts program: Although most inner-city elementary schools have a small or no fine arts program, studies have shown that sustained involvement in music and visual arts correlates strongly with success in math and reading. The new fine arts program, launched through elementary and secondary schools that send students to Jefferson Davis High School, focuses on the visual arts and music. Through ongoing teacher training and support, the fine arts are integrated into everyday classes.
• Teacher development: Good teaching is an essential element to the educational success of any child. Project GRAD provides up to 73 hours of initial training, professional development and support for each teacher in Project GRAD elementary and middle schools.

Participating schools

Project GRAD Houston currently serves 71 public schools and more than 48,000 students in H.I.S.D., including the elementary and middle schools leading into the most at-risk high schools – Jefferson Davis, Jack Yates, Phillis Wheatley, John Reagan, and Sam Houston. These schools have a 90 percent minority population.

Results

Project GRAD works! After more than 10 years of experience, it is clear that Project GRAD schools produce:

• Students with better grades and higher achievement test scores
• Students with positive attitudes and improved classroom behavior
• Teachers with better training and ongoing support
• Parents with more direct involvement in their children’s education
• High school graduates with higher college enrollment rates
• College students with greater access to financial aid and scholarships
• Increased college graduation rates

Since implementation in the first group of schools, Project GRAD has increased the number of students:

• Graduating from high school by 94 percent
• Tripled the number of students entering college
• Graduating from college by 46 % - nearly double the national average

Replicating success nationwide

Project GRAD places Houston at the forefront of education reform nationally. The program is being emulated in 11 other cities: Brownsville, TX; Atlanta, GA; Newark, NJ; Los Angeles, CA; Knoxville, TN; Cincinnati, Columbus, Akron, Lorain, OH; Kenai Peninsula, AK; and Roosevelt, NY. Today, Project GRAD serves more than 133,000 students in 217 schools in 12 districts. Many other cities, including Dallas, San Antonio and Philadelphia, hope to bring Project GRAD to their school districts to replicate the success of the Houston program.