Additional Program Information¹

Developer and contact

Information on Project GRAD is available from Project GRAD USA, a national nonprofit organization that coordinates the initiative. Address: 1100 Louisiana, Suite 450, Houston, TX 77002. Web: www.projectgrad.org. Telephone: (713) 986-0499.

Scope of use

Project GRAD was first implemented in 1988 in the Houston Independent School District. Project GRAD USA reports that, as of May 2007, Project GRAD has served more than 130,000 youth in more than 200 schools.

Description of intervention

At the high school level, Project GRAD provides college scholarships and summer institutes. Project GRAD scholarships are provided to students who have a cumulative 2.5 grade point average or better, graduate within four years, complete a recommended college-preparatory curriculum, and participate in two summer institutes. Scholarships average $1,000 to $1,500 a year, although the amounts and criteria vary by site. Each Project GRAD high school has a scholarship coordinator who provides counseling, tutoring, and college admission preparation. The summer institutes allow students to experience a college campus-based program taught by college faculty, consisting of four to six hours of instruction and related activities a day for four to six weeks. The activities typically include reading, writing, math, science, academic enrichment, and remedial instruction.

Project GRAD works with the feeder elementary and middle schools that send students to Project GRAD high schools to address early problems that can affect high school completion. To help students arrive at middle and high school better prepared academically, Project GRAD elementary schools provide professional development and coaches for teachers of reading and math and also implement curricula such as MOVE IT Math™, Everyday Math™ or Success For All™. To improve classroom behavior, Project GRAD schools implement Consistency Management & Cooperative Discipline®, an instructional discipline management system in which the teacher acts as an instructional leader and students have leadership roles. It is based on five elements: prevention of disruptive behavior through classroom management, a caring environment, cooperation, classroom organization, and parental and community involvement activities.

Project GRAD also provides staff who deliver school-based social services and facilitate parent involvement. Some sites link with Communities in Schools (CIS), a dropout prevention and social service agency, to provide social service and parent involvement staff members. In sites where there is no local CIS organization, Project GRAD has established Campus Family Support (CFS), which customizes traditional CIS services to meet the needs within the feeder system. In addition to student services, staff organize activities to enhance communication between teachers and parents.

Cost

According to staff at Project GRAD USA, the additional cost of operating Project GRAD is about $550 per student per year. This estimate includes payment toward the scholarship component of the intervention.