Age range

Website: www.ihad-oakland.org

Mission/Goals: I Have a Dream's mission is "to assist every Dreamer to realize his or her full potential as a proud and productive citizen; to help every Dreamer to graduate from high school prepared for further education or for fulfilling employment; and to help make quality social intervention and educational support readily available to every Dreamer."

Notes: In 1996, 88 students from the third grade class of Prescott Elementary School were officially adopted by the "I Have A Dream" Foundation - Oakland, which has since provided guidance and support to these children through one-on-one tutoring, mentors, after school programs, a summer learning program, career and college awareness, enrichment activities and field trips. The foundation also promised each child financial assistance in obtaining additional aid for college or vocational school upon their graduation from high school in 2006.

Source(s): www.ihad-oakland.org; www.promisingpractices.net; www.ihad.org

Type of Evaluation: Quasi-experimental.

Note: The following evaluation did not include the Oakland IHAD program.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of the IHAD program on high school graduation and college enrollment rates.

Impact/Outcomes: IHAD participants demonstrated significantly higher rates of high school graduation than did students in the comparison groups. Students from the first IHAD program had a graduation rate of 71% compared to just 37% for its comparison group. Students in the second IHAD class had a graduation rate of 69%, compared to a rate of 34% for its comparison group. The college enrollment rates for the IHAD groups were 88% and 96% respectively. Enrollment rates for their comparison groups were unavailable, but the IHAD rates are higher than those of other Chicago students, which average 54% for Hispanics and 53% for African-Americans.