Building the Foundation for Improved Student Performance

The Pre-Curricular Phase of Project GRAD Newark


By Sandra Ham, Fred Doolittle, Glee Ivory Holton

Conceived and first implemented in Houston, Texas, Project GRAD is a relatively new education initiative, but one that has already generated strong interest and been expanded to five other cities: Atlanta, Columbus, Los Angeles, Nashville, and Newark. This first report from MDRC’s ongoing evaluation of Project GRAD Newark, the initial expansion site, is focused on early implementation of the initiative — its pre-curricular phase. The evaluation affords a view of Project GRAD’s components, principles, and implementation period as they are being adapted to a new context and offers policymakers important insight into the process of introducing a major education reform into a school system. The findings from the evaluation thus far suggest that the implementation of Project GRAD in Newark is off to a strong start, and there are promising signs of progress. Upcoming reports on Project GRAD Newark will focus on the initiative’s curricular components and their effects on student achievement outcomes.

Document Details

Publication Type
Report
Date
August 2000
Ham, Sandra, Fred Doolittle, and Glee Holton. 2000. Building the Foundation for Improved Student Performance The Pre-Curricular Phase of Project GRAD Newark. New York: MDRC.