The philosophy guiding Project GRAD is that all Pre-K through 12th grade students can be effective learners regardless of socio-economic background.  Project GRAD believes that any effort to increase inner-city academic achievement levels must be systematic and integrated, beginning in preschool and following children all the way through high school.  Saving our inner-city children from academic failure is one of the most critical issues now facing our state and the nation.  The cost of failure is too high - a devastating waste of human potential and severe economic cost for the State of Ohio.  The school and community leaders in Ohio's 21 urban school districts care about urban school planning; more strategic approaches will lead to higher student achievement.  Project GRAD schools in Houston, Texas have seen a 70% increase (Davis High School Feeder) in the number of students graduating since Project GRAD implementation.

The Governor's Commission on Student Success confirmed across Ohio that there is a deeply held desire for schools to do a better job and for more students to graduate from high school with the knowledge and skills to make good choices.  Parents, teachers, and taxpayers want Ohio students to have the education they need and deserve in order to be success.

Students and parents are learning more about the value of a college education and to appreciate that it is a lifetime investment for which planning can and should begin in elementary school.  Families are offered opportunities to engage in guided activities that look at career options, job opportunities, the college application process, the financial aid process, what to expect in college and healthy methods for dealing with stress, managing time wisely, and living independently.  We assist students and families to begin college track goal setting early with continued support to realize the dream of graduation from high school and attending college.

Project GRAD Ohio believes that Thoreau reached the right conclusion when he said. "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."   Kevin L. Boyce , Executive Director, Project GRAD Ohio