These are a few of the most commonly asked questions concerning the "I Have a Dream" - SF program. If you have a question that is not answered below, please do not hesitate to contact Abby Rovner, Project Director.

How were the Dreamers selected?

SF - IHAD selected the dreamers based on two different approaches. First, the Board analyzed publicly available data on San Francisco Unified's high schools such as:

• Graduation rates
• Percent of students who attend college
• Scores on standardized tests such as the SAT and STAR exams

After identifying those high schools with the weakest statistics, the board then traced the junior high schools that feed into the targeted high schools. Again, similar academic performance measures were gathered to identify the junior high schools with the lowest scores. Finally, the feeder elementary schools were identified where the same exercise was applied. Marshall Elementary School was one of these schools.

Recognizing that statistics only tell part of the story, the board then interviewed teachers and administrators familiar with the district to get a strong sense of the need of the various schools. Once a short list was generated, Board members held meetings with the key stakeholders at each school: the teachers, principals and parents. The commitment and support at Marshall Elementary were outstanding. Marshall was also selected because its students come from a diverse community, and represent a student body that generally stays together over the years.

What happens if a Dreamer moves away to another city or state during the course of the program?

The philosophy of the "I Have a Dream Foundation" is that once a child is selected and as a dreamer, he or she remains a participant in the program whether or not he or she remains in the local IHAD community. In other words, a Dreamer remains eligible to receive additional academic resources, support, advice and college tuition assistance (according to the IHAD- SF tuition assistance policy) as long the dreamer's academic progress, address, and school location is regularly communicated to the IHAD - SF staff.

What do parents have to do in order for their child to be eligible to participate in IHAD - SF?

At the program's inception, all parents Marshall Elementary School's third graders committed to the following in order for their child to participate in IHAD- SF

• Helping their child succeed in school, and providing the necessary support and guidance to ensure that their child will complete high school and fulfill his or her full potential through college, vocational school, or fulfilling employment.
• Working in collaboration with their child, their child's school and "I Have a Dream" - San Francisco by attending individual conferences related to their child's educational progress, by encouraging and assisting their child in attending "I Have a Dream" - San Francisco activities, meetings, and field trips and by participating and volunteering themselves whenever appropriate.
• Keeping "I Have a Dream" - San Francisco informed of the child's current address, telephone number and school.

What do students have to do in order to participate in IHAD - SF?

In order to participate in the IHAD - SF program, all eligible students committed to doing the following:

• Attend school regularly, do their homework, believe in themselves, and to work a little bit every day toward their goals
• Want to be a member of the "I Have a Dream" - San Francisco community
• Attend tutoring sessions, field trips and other IHAD activities as often as possible.

How will you keep track of the Dreamers now that they attend different colleges?

The IHAD - SF Program Director continues to provide case management to each Dreamer in person, and by phone and email as they start or continue college, and seek jobs, post secondary opportunities, support, and financial aid. She also allocates IHAD’s tuition assistance, discretionary funding, and merit scholarships to the Dreamers and holds them accountable for meeting their academic and other commitments as part of IHAD’s tuition assistance agreement. Finally, she visits each of the Dreamers on their college campuses at least once during the year and continues to maintain the IHAD website and Facebook page, write and distribute quarterly newsletters, and plan reunion events, Board meetings and programs during Winter and Summer breaks in order to maintain an ongoing sense of connectedness, mutual support, and community amongst the Dreamers and their families.

Will IHAD - SF be taking on any other dreamer classes in the future besides the current high school students?

For funding reasons, at this time, the "I Have a Dream" Program in San Francisco is only available to the current San Francisco Dreamer cohort.

A committee of the IHAD Board has been meeting during the past year to discuss the possibility of starting a new, long-term educational support and enrichment program for at-risk youth in the Bay Area.  This program would be based on the "I Have a Dream" model and would partner with the community to provide educational, social-emotional, and financial support to its students and families over time. We would like to start earlier than 3rd Grade with this new program, perhaps in Pre-K or K, to involve parents even more and to ensure that the new “Dreamers” have every opportunity to develop their school readiness and literacy skills, and ongoing access to the resources and support required to succeed in school and in life.

Please contact us if you are interested in raising additional funds and starting a new cohort of San Francisco Dreamers!

What tuition assistance does IHAD-SF offer to the dreamers when they graduate from high school an what do they have to do to receive this financial support?

In order to maintain their eligibility for IHAD’s Tuition Assistance, each Dreamer must apply for financial aid each year by the deadline and must provide IHAD with access to their course lists, grades and financial aid statements. Dreamers also sign a Tuition Assistance contract agreeing to complete a minimum of 12 credits (for full time students) with a 2.0 or above GPA each Quarter/Semester.

The IHAD Board reviews the Dreamers’ grades every quarter/semester and holds them accountable for the terms of IHAD's tuition assistance contract. They are also expected to adhere to the academic, housing, and behavior standards set by their institutions.  Students who fail to meet the terms of the contract are notified that they are at risk of losing part or all of IHAD's financial support.  They are given one or two grading periods to improve, during which time, the IHAD Director may meet with the students and their academic counselors, communicates expectations about the steps they need to take (i.e. attending tutoring, summer school, etc.), and holds regular "coaching" phone conversations to provide guidance and support. After this period, and based on the Dreamers’ effort and academic progress, the Board determines whether and how to rescind or reduce funding.

During their first year of college, this process of accountability and support helped many Dreamers get “back on track” after the first semester. Dreamers can have their IHAD tuition assistance fully reinstated if they meet the minimum eligibility requirements of IHAD’s Tuition Assistance Contract for two consecutive grading periods.