Attainment/Retention — Achieving the Dream Grant

Organization: MDRC

Program focus: Attainment/Retention — Achieving the Dream

Purpose: To extend and expand MDRC's evaluation of the Achieving the Dream initiative.

Amount: $501,100

Summary: MDRC is conducting a multi-year evaluation of the Achieving the Dream initiative (AtD). The original evaluation plan (Grant No. 3657) included only the first 27 colleges in the initiative (the “Round I” colleges). Since then, more states and colleges have joined AtD. The AtD partners believe that the later colleges may make greater and faster progress as they learn from those involved in the earlier rounds. The supplemental grant will enable MDRC to begin testing this hypothesis through field work and a survey of administrators and faculty in 13 “Round III” colleges in Washington State and Pennsylvania. The supplemental grant also will enable MDRC to acquire the services of an experienced survey firm to administer the faculty and administrator surveys electronically in both Round I and Round III colleges, and to follow-up with non-respondents via mail and telephone. The goal is to obtain at least a 60 percent response rate in order to get a reliable and accurate measure of attitudes and practices at all participating institutions.

Term of grant: 11/01/2007 through 06/30/2008