Undergraduate Academic Affairs
December 26, 2014
Moving the opportunity needle
Mentors and mentees pause from working on college applications for a group picture.
In 2010, the Dream Project received a four-year, $972,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to expand, deepen and evaluate its program. That grant has concluded and the external-evaluation results are in. See what we’ve learned about the impact of the Dream Project and what’s in store for the program.
Dream Project overview
- Why we need the Dream Project: By 2020, two-thirds of jobs in Washington state will require postsecondary schooling. In the school districts where the Dream Project works, 60% of graduating seniors do not complete a postsecondary degree or certificate program and, therefore, are not realizing equal access and support to complete an education that could benefit them, their families and our state’s economy.
- How it works: UW undergraduates mentor low-income and first-generation high school students in college readiness and application processes. The Dream Project is closing the opportunity gap and raising awareness among University students about issues of educational opportunity and social mobility.
- How it works: By working with the entire junior and senior classes at 11 high schools, the Dream Project not only reaches those less-likely to apply to college, it inspires a college-going culture at the schools.
- Where it works: The Dream Project places mentors in 16 partner high schools in the Seattle, Highline, Auburn, Federal Way, Tukwila, Kent and Renton school districts. These schools serve a higher-than-average number of students who receive free or reduced-price lunch.
Brief timeline
- 2005: Dream Project founded by small group of UW undergraduates.
- 2007: 30 UW undergraduates mentor 90 high school students at three high schools.
- 2011: Dream Project expands into three South King County school districts, serving 485 high school students.
- 2013: Dream Project places 18 mentors in 9 middle schools and 9 high schools as college and career readiness assistants.
- 2014: 800+ UW undergraduates serve 2,000 high school students at 16 high schools and 1,000 middle school students at 9 middle schools.
Dream Project mentees
- More than 90% of Dream Scholars are first in their families to attempt college, are low-income and/or are from underrepresented racial/ethnic backgrounds.
- Dream Scholars complete college at higher rates than their peers. 78-82% of Dream Scholars across the region complete their four-year degree; this is 35-40% higher than their peers.
- 66-85% of Dream Scholars at partner schools enroll in college. Before the Dream Project’s connection, this rate was 25-48%.
Dream Project mentors
- Dream Project mentors are representative of the communities they serve and are more diverse, more likely to be low-income and more likely to be first-generation college students.
- Dream Project mentors graduate at the same rate as the general UW population, 81%, despite being more likely to be low-income and more likely to be students of color.
- 68% commit to 2+ terms of mentoring.
- ~100 Dream Project mentors in 2013-14 were former Dream Project mentees.