Program Description

Education is Freedom (EIF) is dedicated to the development and delivery of programs that significantly reverse the disturbingly low rates of high school graduation and college entry among low-performing, urban schools. EIF Dallas aims to: prevent low-income students from dropping out of high school; help students prepare for college during middle school and high school; assist with the navigation of the college entrance and financial aid processes; equip students with skills needed to complete college; and, help students leverage private and public scholarship funds to pay for college. EIF Dallas is currently in three low-performing Dallas ISD high schools and five Dallas ISD middle schools.  Key elements of EIF Dallas are: academic guidance and assistance with college entrance and financial aid applications from on-campus Higher Education Advisors; mentoring and tutoring by EIF Dallas staff and volunteers; a parental component to ensure student success;  professional development training; access to the Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert’s Intern Fellows program for EIF students gain professional work experience; and, the EIF Dallas Middle School Champions of Change program which rewards academic excellence among  6th, 7th and 8th graders, introduces them to EIF Dallas high school services and, ultimately, to the importance of higher education.

Organization History

Education is Freedom (EIF) was founded in 2002 with the creation of a dynamic board of corporate leaders who commonly attribute their professional success to the educational support they received from certain, influential individuals. Such individuals provided assistance through scholarships, mentoring, and other support that ultimately changed the lives of EIF board members. These profound experiences inspired a commitment to create and educated workforce that could build effective companies and strong communities in today's knowledge-based economy.  EIF envisioned a world where every young person could pursue a college education. To accomplish this, EIF first offered a National Scholarship Program where renewable scholarships were awarded to high school students in need of financial assistance. This program quickly revealed that financial support alone was insufficient to ensure college completion, especially if students experience other profound economic barriers. In 2003 EIF launched EIF Dallas, a comprehensive, local school-based program addressing the lack of educational support, mentoring, and college-going orientation among low-income youth in the Dallas Independent School District. Efforts are currently underway to expand and replicate the model of the EIF Dallas college access and college readiness program to other low-income, urban school districts across the country. These new programs, referred to as EIF USA, will be tailored to meet the needs of each community it serves.