I Have A Dream Foundation: Keeping Alive the Promise of Education : High School dropouts face more than a lifetime of economic disadvantage; they are also more likely to end up in prison than their counterparts who finish.

For more than a decade, the national I Have a Dream Foundation’s response to these perils has been to provide long- term comprehensive support for the most disadvantaged students as early as possible in their academic lives. It secures sponsors for classrooms of students, helps them earn their high school diplomas and pays their tuition if they go on to college or vocational school. The program, now in 58 cities including Los Angeles, grew from a promise made by millionaire entrepreneur Eugene Lang in 1981 while giving a graduation speech to a group of sixth- graders at his alma mater in East Harlem. He guaranteed to pay their college tuition if they graduated from high school. That speech became a national movement, and since then 10,000 young people have had some part of their education supported by the foundation. On average, 90% of the students in the program complete high school.

Local Response The foundation selects students from schools that qualify for Chapter One funds which subsidize special instruction for economically disadvantaged children. In Los Angeles County there are 571 students from six schools in Watts, South- Central Los Angeles and Pasadena who have been adopted by the I Have a Dream Foundation. Each student receives support from: *

one of seven full- time paid project coordinators who monitors attendance and school performance. *

sponsors who volunteer to supervise field trips and group activities. *

tutors who volunteer to help students improve academic skills. *

a mentor who donates time to cultivate a one- on- one relationship to support a “Dreamer”. *

additional resources, such as counseling, summer tutoring, camping and internship opportunities.

Finances It costs $2,000 a year for each student adopted. The Whittier Foundation, which founded the Los Angeles chapter, has contributed more than $1.8 million. Other major current contributors include the H.N. and Frances Berger Foundation, Samuel Stone Estate, Thomas Family Foundation and several other donors. The foundation adopted its latest class in 1992 and can adopt no more without additional contributions. *

Dropout rate for Los Angeles Unified School District high school students: 29% *

Estimated percentage of prison inmates nationwide who are dropouts: 62% Sources: Los Angeles Unified School District, I Have a Dream Foundation Researched by DANIELLE MASTERSON / Los Angeles Times