ScholarShot

ScholarShot addresses a blind spot in education–career ready degree completion for at-risk youth. Launched by ScholarShot in 2016, DegreeDallas will produce 500 first-generation college degrees from Dallas County - the first of thousands more. Dallas desperately needs an educated workforce with more than 60% degreed adult individuals by 2030, while Dallas' current degreed population stands at only 29%.

Although trillions of funding dollars have been invested to assist, mentor, educate and prepare at-risk students for a stable future from birth through high school graduation, the percentage who escape poverty is very low. A vocational, associate or undergraduate degree, along with ScholarShot's proven template, is the tipping point to change lives for students who have the will and grit to succeed. In doing so, we are also making good our K-12 investment of at least $150,000 per student.
Although less than 5% of Dallas County high school graduates are college ready, over 39% will enroll in a 4-year college. They are unprepared for the competitive challenges of a four-year degree even though they have been accepted and have received grant money to attend. They also lack the experience and support from home to plan a collegiate path, locate support resources, and manage the work load. Underfunded even with receiving full federal and state grant money, they will take on unrecoverable debt at the rate of over $10,000 per year.
They need a realistic plan that admits them to the appropriate level of college (often community college first), keeps them in school, and manages their success. ScholarShot provides the academic management, accountability and financial assistance that leads to a 90% success rate for degree completion.
These unique outcomes prove ScholarShot's innovation and recognition as the domain expert for degree completion for at-risk students:
 Reversing the state's graduation outcome of less than 10%. With ScholarShot at-risk students achieve 90% completion.
 Matching scholars with the level of college that fits their true readiness and ability to succeed.
 Making vocational certificates and associate degrees a respectable and acceptable option for at-risk students, many of whom need to work more than the average student, have specific career interests for this, and in some cases, are parents prior to enrolling in college.
 Redefining “college readiness" from “class rank" to a holistic assessment of gaps in financial resources, social maturity or familial support alongside personal “grit" factor.
 Continual and persistent academic and personal guidance to degree completion in addition to dollars invested.
 Maximizing public grants, typically leveraging $4 of grant funds for every $1 we invest.
 Minimizing debt for at-risk ScholarShot Scholars to 1/3rd the average Texas graduate's debt.
 Career readiness with employment, job acquisition, resume writing and interview training.
 Matching Scholars with potential employers.

ScholarShot is the only Dallas area resource to focus solely on degree completion. The unique approach of assigning fulltime Academic Managers (first generation college graduates) assures our Scholars receive continual degree planning, monitoring, guidance and encouragement to stay on track and complete their degrees. We have instituted a unique approach with a proven template to significantly increase the graduation rates of at-risk students, currently at more than 90%.
Most agencies and services in Dallas providing at-risk students college assistance focus on access. The dropout rate of 9 out of 10 at-risk students, however, clearly show access alone is not enough and often gets students into schools where they are unprepared and underfunded. ScholarShot's unique and focused approach to help these students obtain a post-secondary degree is filling a community and state-wide void.
Our current processes to ensure degree completion include the following key elements:
1. Incoming Scholars are enrolled at the appropriate college level based on their true level of readiness, whether vocational, associate or undergraduate.
2. Enrolled Scholars sign a ScholarShot Covenant Agreement defining our expectations for them as well as a FERPA Agreement which permits ScholarShot access to their academic and financial information.
3. Each Scholar is assigned an Academic Manager (AM). Our Academic Managers can be most effective with a ratio of roughly 50:1, Scholars to Academic Manager.
4. Scholars and their AMs meet one on one each semester to map out appropriate degree plans, course loads, budgets and work hours (as most work part-time).
5. All Scholars provide their AMs with their student portal logins to monitor their status. In addition, we have established strategic relationships with each of our attending schools to gain access to classroom and teacher portals. If Scholars are missing class, underperforming or attempting to drop courses, our AMs will see this.
6. Scholars must submit bi-weekly updates to receive funding.
7. Our AMs provide constant personal, academic and financial guidance. They are often required to advocate for their Scholars, as schools tend to oversell students on degree options, course direction or debt.
8. Scholars are eligible to receive up to $6,000 in financial support from ScholarShot each year, subject to reasonable compliance with their degree plans, covenant agreement and communication requirements.
Our online Scholar onboarding and management tool, Survey Monkey Apply, adds substantial automation and visibility to our Scholar onboarding and management.
More than the financial support, it's the hands-on academic, financial and personal guidance that drives our success in winning degrees. Our first-generation graduates are earning mid-five figure salaries, becoming first generation home owners, living, working and serving in Dallas County. These 500 such graduates will influence thousands of others to do the same.

ScholarShot has become a thought leader in the college degree completion arena for first generation college students. The education blindspot has focused on college access for these students at the expense of ensuring their success in degree completion. ScholarShot has a proven template for ensuring that 90% of ScholarShot Scholars earn a career-ready degree through academic management, accountability and financial assistance.

Have Accomplished:
--Beginning to educate the public about the blind spot in education for at-risk students - college degree completion vs. college access alone.
--Reverse the state's graduation rate of 10% for first-generation students with a 90% success rate.
--See that our Scholars graduate with 1/3 of the debt of the typical college graduate in the Texas.
--Maximize public grant dollars, typically leveraging $4 of grant funds for every $1 we invest.
--Match Scholars with the level of college that meets their readiness level i.e., vocational, associate, or bachelor.
--Identify first-generation college students with the will and grit to succeed.
--Collaborate with other agencies that help advance our mission and serve our Scholars while staying focused on our mission.

Working to Accomplish:
--Continue educating the public about the blind spot in education for at-risk students - college degree completion vs. access.
--Grow to reach greater numbers of first generation students with the will and grit to succeed.
--Share our proven template with other cities and states. We have begun a pilot program in Tarrant County.
--Greater number of paid internships for our Scholars.