Education Opens Doors Inc

In 2017, a national survey done by harris interactive found that while 92 percent of 7th and 8th grade students said they were likely to attend college, 68 percent said they had little or no knowledge of how to prepare for it. According to the national association for college admission counseling trends survey, public school counselors spend 18.5 percent of their time on postsecondary admissions counseling. With an average of 455 students per counselor in texas schools, 180 days in the school year, seven hours per school day, this equates to 31 minutes per student. In communities where students may be the first in their family to pursue postsecondary education, this lack of information and dedicated counseling and resources in middle school is a gap that may be too significant to overcome as they move into high school when they begin choosing competitive coursework and postsecondary options which align with their strengths. According to a brief from the national center for education statistics in 2018, firstgeneration college students are less likely to enroll in challenging high school courses than their peers whose parents had earned bachelor's degrees. Additionally, according to the eab national research of career readiness, only 36 percent of high school graduates make postsecondary decisions that align with their strengths and interests. This disconnect may be one contributing factor which leads to 62 percent of dallas county high school graduates enrolling in postsecondary education and only 30 percent of those students complete a twoor fouryear degree in six years(commit). As a result, out of the 35,000 students who graduate annually, 25,000 of them fail to obtain the postsecondary education necessary to achieve their dreams. According to the bush institute, middle school matters report, "middle school is the last and best chance to prepare students for high school and postsecondary success." the eod program fills this critical need by targeting middle and early high school students and embedding the eod curriculum into existing classes. By delivering the program in this manner, teachers can seamlessly deliver content within the context of their instructional day and students across a grade level will gain knowledge of college and strengthen their aspirations for life beyond high school. According to the forgotten middle, "being on target for college and career readiness in eighth grade and improving the college and career readiness skills that students possess by eighth grade have the most dramatic impact on high school graduates' ultimate level of college and career readiness. This impact is much larger than that associated with any single high schoollevel enhancement." the eod program provides students with knowledge about college and career options as well as the necessary steps to set them on a path to access those options. In light of the covid19 pandemic, eod has pivoted our model of service delivery to meet the dynamic needs of schools for the upcoming school year. Whether schools participate in our traditional, schoolbased program or through distance learning, the virtual platform will more efficiently provide resources and training for both teachers using our program and other adults (parents, mentors, etc.) who have an interest in providing educational support and guidance to middle and early high school students. By expanding access to a wider audience of caring adults and encouraging conversations about the future in a variety of settings, we envision a stronger, more holistic support system which will ignite the spark to encourage lifelong learning. Program description: eod believes that when doors open, lives change. The goal of the eod program is to ensure students gain the knowledge required to pursue the high school of their choice and ultimately enroll in postsecondary education. To achieve this goal, the eod program partners with schools and other studentcentered programs in the community to reach middle and early high school students (ages 12 to 16) from communities of color, those living in lowincome communities, and future firstgeneration college students. The eod program equips teachers, who spend significant time building relationships with students each day, with the tools they need to increase expectations, motivation, and college and career knowledge in their classrooms. Eod offers two yearlong eod program packages implemented over two consecutive years. Each year of program implementation provides students with 900 additional minutes of active college planning and career preparation learning and discussion. The program consists of the following critical elements: interactive student curriculum: the more than 360page guidebook, refreshed annually and available online through a robust digital learning system, is designed to be culturally responsive and inclusive. The curriculum promotes active learning and group discussion around topics such as academic preparation, high school choice, sat/act, college affordability, and college and career readiness skills all of which are not traditionally taught in classes during the school day. Interactive activities and lessons focus on which courses to choose financial literacy and how to pay for college, how to choose a career, professionalism, and how to effectively manage your time and how to build character for life beyond graduation day. For the 2023-2024 school year, eod will partner with dallas isd to develop a regional curriculum which would further explore student interest and specific capabilities and align those with regionspecific workforce needs and postsecondary opportunities. Students can continue to access their guide either through the hardcopy guidebook or virtual platform as they navigate to and through high school and prepare for postsecondary success. Teacher / caring adult curriculum: teachers or caring adults who are implementing the curriculum receive training on instructional methods, student materials, and assessments to gauge change in student aspirations and college knowledge. As they deliver the program, teachers or caring adults' access additional program resources and engage in discussion with others implementing the program through an online portal. Dedicated eod impact managers act as a resource for teachers and caring adults as they implement the program. For the 2023-2024 school year, eod aims to serve 12,500+ students. Research indicates that a students' level of expectation and belief that college is unaffordable are two of the greatest obstacles to pursuing college for first generation college, lowincome students. Therefore, eod measures the following outcomes: 88% of students will report that they expect to go to a twoyear college, fouryear college, or trade school at the end of the program. 50% of students reported they were confident in seeking financial options to help pay for college. In a longitudinal study done by southern methodist university's simmons school of education, dallas isd students who participated in the eod program were more likely to take the psat, act, and ap exams as they progressed through school than nonparticipating students. Additionally, students who participated in the program performed better on the reading and social studies state standardized tests (staar) than non participating peers, suggesting a heightened focus and effort placed on academic performance.