OneGoal

In the Chicago Public Schools, only 18 percent of incoming ninth graders enroll in four-year universities after high school, and only eight percent are expected to graduate from college by age 25. Nationally, the rates are not much better: only one in ten students growing up in poverty is expected to graduate from college by 25.

OneGoal (formerly Urban Students Empowered) works to systemically change these deplorable statistics throughout Chicago and beyond. We identify and train highly effective teachers to lead students attending non-selective high schools in low-income communities to enroll in and graduate from college. OneGoal leverages exceptional teachers to equip students with a system of best practices and collaborative networks of support. OneGoal then equips students (called Fellows) with the tools and resources they need not only to enroll in their best-fit match college, but also to graduate. To date, 99 percent of Fellows have been admitted to four-year colleges; and 83 percent of OneGoal alumni are currently persisting in college and are on track to graduate.

OneGoal was founded in 2007 and is in the midst of an aggressive expansion campaign. Currently, we work with nearly 1,000 students in 20 high schools across Chicago. By 2017, we will grow to serve more than 4,000 students in four cities with a $8 million annual budget, moving us closer to the day when every student in America has the opportunity to enroll in and graduate from college.