Who does Education is Freedom (EIF) serve?
EIF supports middle and high school students in traditionally underserved schools and their families.
What services does EIF provide?
EIF provides expert advising on college, career, and life readiness. For high school, this includes FAFSA/TASFA, college applications, financial aid, SAT/ACT support, and workforce training programs. For middle school, this includes endorsement selection, high school transition guidance, and college exploration.
In addition to advising, EIF facilitates the Dallas Works and Richardson Mayor’s Summer Intern Programs, which match hundreds of students to internships and jobs each summer. EIF has a custom workforce readiness curriculum that is used to prepare students to be successful in these roles and in their future careers.
How does EIF reach students and their families?
EIF places a trained Higher Education Advisor in each of the schools it serves to provide expert knowledge to all students. These advisors have their own EIF classroom for students to visit to receive assistance on everything related to college, career, and life readiness.
Higher Education Advisors also hold evening workshops to educate families on FAFSA/TASFA and other post-secondary topics to ensure their students have what they need in order to continue their educations.
What type of training do Higher Education Advisors receive?
All Higher Education Advisors at EIF have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree and go through training both before and during each school year to ensure they have the latest expertise on everything needed to get students into college or workforce training programs.
Higher Education Advisors not only serve as content experts for their students, but also as role models and mentors. They mirror the campus’ student demographics and understand the unique attributes and challenges of their student population.
How can my student get support from EIF?
If your student attends a school that has hired EIF as its college access program vendor, he or she can visit the EIF room on campus any time before, during, or after school to meet with the Higher Education Advisor.
Does EIF award scholarships to its students?
Originally founded as a scholarship program, EIF soon became a comprehensive college and career readiness provider after founders saw that financial support alone was not enough to ensure college success for students. Today, EIF provides privately-funded scholarships to top Dallas ISD students who are members of EIF Scholars, a leadership and development program for high performing seniors. These scholarships are given out each spring at EIF’s annual fundraising event and scholarship program, Evening With the Stars.
How does EIF support students who want to enter the workforce following high school graduation?
EIF’s Higher Education Advisors understand that there are significant career opportunities in certain industries for students without a four-year college degree. Higher Education Advisors receive training and information on industries with high demand for skilled workers, and they can provide students with guidance on workforce training programs that will help students gain the skills needed to enter into lucrative careers.
How does EIF get funding?
EIF gets its resources through a combination of Title I funds, private foundations, and corporate/individual donations.