Background & Purpose of Education Opens Doors:
EOD believes that when doors open, lives change. The EOD Program equips students with the relevant knowledge and 21st century skills they need to realize their full college and career potential. To achieve this goal, the EOD Program partners with schools and other student-centered programs to reach middle school students (ages 12-15) from a diverse range of backgrounds - including those living in low-income households, urban city centers or rural communities and often students who are prospective future first-generation college attendees.
The EOD Program utilizes the train-the-trainer model to equip teachers with the tools they need to effectively increase expectations, motivation, and college and career knowledge in their classrooms. Ultimately, we are closing the guidance gap for students, turning 31 minutes of post secondary and career guidance into over 1200 minutes.
In the past year, EOD has invested in our curriculum and digital learning opportunities to elevate our program offerings. The 11th Edition of our curriculum is TEKS aligned, student centered and includes additional extended and digital learning opportunities. Our program is meant for all students, and has a flexible implementation model to make that possible. While other programs are meant for students at the top or students in the middle, the Foundations Program is founded on the belief that all students have limitless potential, and we ensure that our students are aware of the multitude of opportunities available to them. We then support our students in choosing the best option for their unique path, ensuring students possess the skills and support to achieve their best fit.
The mission of Education Opens Doors (EOD) is to activate all students to determine and pursue an informed future.
Our Needs
"I always heard I should go to college but don't know people who have gone. Now I know what college is and how to get there. If it wasn't for Education Opens Doors, I wouldn't know that I have a chance." This 8th grade student's words illustrate the life-changing experiences that happen for students who participate in our Program. However, this experience is not one shared with the majority of students in Dallas.
In 2017, a national survey done by Harris Interactive found that while 92% of 7th and 8th grade students said they were likely to attend college, 68% said they had little or no knowledge of how to prepare for it. 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 8th 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 school-level enhancement."
According to the EAB National Research of Career Readiness, only 36% of high school graduates make postsecondary decisions that align with their strengths and interests. This lack of alignment may be one contributing factor which leads to only 30% of Dallas County students who enrolled in postsecondary education completing a 2 or 4 year degree in 6 years (Commit!).
We are currently in need of support to expand our groundbreaking program to 12,500 students over the 2023-2024 school year. A $100 donation supports one student in our program.
The reality is that systems of inequity continue to plague our nation and schools - from the lack of resources and advising support to access to technology to a gap in college knowledge - limiting the potential of students who identify as black, indigenous or as people of color. Because of these systems, a student's race remains one of the most predictive measures of postsecondary success, and countless students' aspirations are never fully realized.
In fact, this pressing need for equity within the classroom was the catalyst for creating Education Opens Doors. Our organization was founded on the belief that all students deserve the opportunity to pursue their limitless potential, regardless of their race, gender-identity, ability, background, or creed - and we have fiercely pursued that mission since 2012.
However, if we fail to explicitly address and fundamentally disrupt the institutionalized racism present in our society, then we, as Education Opens Doors, cannot accurately claim to support "all students." It is not enough to simply be non-racist. We must be actively anti-racist in order to begin to unravel the inequity woven into the fabric of our society. Our students deserve no less.
Education Opens Doors is staunch in our commitment to equality. We realize that there is no "finish line" to this undertaking - that there is no accumulation of training, certifications, and consultants that will ever mean our work is done. However, we unwaveringly commit to the practice, the journey, the learning and unlearning.
We also recognize that this journey is not one that can be undertaken in a silo. We need collaboration.
Community. Mutual accountability. To this end, we invite our peers, funders, and stakeholders to join us on this path and hold each other to the ideals of transformational change in which we have grounded our work.
Far too many have been denied equity and justice for far too long. It's past time to open the doors.
Organization name
Education Opens Doors, Inc.
Causes
Employment & Workforce Development, Education - K-12, Education - Career Prep
Operating Budget
$1,000,000 - $2,999,999
Counties Served
Dallas, Tarrant
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Other
BIPOC Leadership
Executive Director/CEO
Equity Statement
Equity Statement
Address
2804 Swiss Avenue