I Have a Dream - Program

OAKLAND STORY:
In 1996, 88 students from the third grade class of Prescott Elementary School were officially adopted by the "I Have A Dream" Foundation - Oakland. We pledged to provide guidance and support to these children from third grade through high school and beyond. We also promised each of them financial assistance in obtaining additional aid for college or vocational school upon their graduation from high school in 2006.

One-on-one tutoring, mentors, after school programs, a summer learning program, career and college awareness, enrichment activities and field trips created a nurturing environment for our Dreamers, all designed to prepare them for their next steps.

As our Dreamers entered the sixth grade we saw a dramatic improvement in their reading, writing and math abilities. A comparison of standardized tests from the fourth to fifth grade showed that our students had increased their reading, vocabulary, composition, and math scores a combined average of 60%, outstripping their contemporaries in other fifth grade classes. This increase reveals that direct involvement can and does have a powerful impact.

With I Have A Dream-Oakland’s efforts being felt so dramatically in the community our program was awarded a Federal Grant that allowed us to offer our services to more students in the West Oakland Community, expanding to sixth graders at Lowell Middle School, West Oakland Community School, and St. Martin de Porres.

By the time our students were entering high school, we were supporting a total of 250 West Oakland youth. During our students' junior year of high school, IHAD hired a full-time college and career advisor to help guide them through the complex processes of applying for college and securing financial aid. We are very proud to announce that we currently have 90 students enrolled in universities, community colleges and vocational schools throughout the nation. Schools of attendance include: Harvard University, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, Morehouse University, UC Riverside, and many, many more! Congratulations Dreamers!.