Project GRAD Houston (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams), is a non-profit based in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, United States, providing free college access, college success, and career advising services. Project GRAD's mission is to improve lives in low-income communities by helping individuals develop and achieve their educational aspirations. Founded in 1994 by James and Kathryn Ketelsen, Project GRAD originally worked in five Houston ISD high schools:

Northside High School (Houston) Northside High School, formerly Jefferson Davis High School, is a secondary school located at 1101 Quitman in the Near Northside neighborhood of Northside, Houston, Texas with a ZIP code of 77009. The school was previously named after Jefferson ...

Wheatley High School (Houston) Phillis Wheatley High School is a secondary school located at 4801 Providence Street in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States with a ZIP code of 77020. Wheatley is a part of the Houston Independent School District. Wheatley, named after Phillis ...

Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center (SHMSTC), formerly known as Sam Houston High School is a high school located in the Hawthorne Place and Timber Garden subdivisions, in Houston, Texas, United States. Sam Houston Math, Science, and T ...

Heights High School Heights High School, formerly John H. Reagan High School, is a senior high school located in the Houston Heights in Houston, Texas. It serves students in grades nine through twelve and is a part of the Houston Independent School District. Hei ...

, and

Yates High School Jack Yates Senior High School is a public high school located at 3650 Alabama Street, very near Texas Southern University, in the historic Third Ward in Houston, Texas. Yates High School handles grades nine through twelve and is part of the Hous ...

offering scholarships through their GRAD Scholar Program to students who met certain requirements as a way to increase graduation rates. From there, GRAD began working in the high school feeder patterns offering educators, math and reading curriculum, and strict disciplinary practices to 70 HISD schools. Nearly 20 years after its founding and after becoming a "nationally renowned college-prep program", Project GRAD shifted away from the scholarship provider model to a community based model outside of the school district. In 2015, in partnership with the

City of Houston Houston ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the seat of Harris County, as well as the principal city of ...

and

Houston Public Library Houston Public Library is the public library system serving Houston, Texas, United States. History Houston Lyceum and the Carnegie Library The Houston Public Library system traces its founding to the creation of the second Houston Lyceum in ...

, Project GRAD brough
cafécollege
originally a San Antonio "'one-stop-shop' for free college access advice, guidance, and workshops" to Houston in the form o
cafécollege Houston
Staffed by Project GRAD advisors, cafécollege Houston provides free college and career information in English and Spanish to anyone in the greater Houston area. Project GRAD has had more than 6,800 of its GRAD Scholars enroll in a community college or university and over 2,100 Scholars who have earned a certificate, associate degree or bachelor's degree. cafécollege Houston has welcomed over 10,000 visitors and GRAD has provided its services to more than 4,000 Houstonians.

New Model

On December 27, 2013, The Houston Chronicle reported that Project GRAD Houston phased out its local scholarship grants and pulled out staff from the Houston Independent School District. This is where the college preparatory program was founded more than two decades ago to assist financially needy students at problematic institutions. However, this model continued to be practiced in some areas which include Alaska, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. The non-profit organization maintained a hundred employees during its peak. The ISD also gave Project GRAD a subsidy of $5 million until the platform was scrutinized. The last fund grant worth $1.3 million for the Project came in during the 2011 – 20112 school year. After this, the non-profit deemed it necessary to create a different model. Project GRAD uses its yearly budget ($4 million) for 18 employees and 23 AmeriCorps (voluntary civil society program that the US federal government supports) members in area non-profit offices as well as universities.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.projectgradhouston.org, Project GRAD Houston Education reform in the United States Educational organizations based in the United States