The Graduate Project-US

About The Graduate Project-US

Mission: TGP’s mission is to inspire policymakers, educators, and community leaders to evolve and disrupt the antiquated elements of traditional education while dissolving structures that have led to over a century of systemic inequities. Vision: TGP’s vision is a transformed educational opportunity that is not one-size-fits-all and tailors education programs so that all graduates have the tools to succeed. In my career, I helped open or restart ten high schools in three different states. Several of those schools specialized in dropout recovery or dropout prevention. Our programs helped over 5,000 students reengage their education and earn their high school diplomas. I had the honor of talking one-on-one with over 3,000 students who dropped out, their parents, and their community leaders about why they left. Their stories were powerful and enlightening. What I learned humbled me; my presumptions were either wrong, a minor contributing factor, or a symptom of the root cause. I discovered that each student and community had different contributing factors, and sweeping generalizations were insufficient. The insight from students about their past experiences changed me as an educator and helped me create programs to address the root causes that pushed or pulled them out of school. I wish I had this understanding while teaching and leading schools earlier in my career. The Graduate Project helps educators and community leaders understand these root causes leading to students dropping out. We collaborate with communities by engaging former students who dropped out, current struggling students, parents, educators, and community leaders to hear their stories. We share this qualitative and quantitative data and help create and implement proactive strategies to improve retention, recovery, and graduation rates.

View contact profiles from The Graduate Project-US