Project GRAD (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams) is a not-for-profit school-community collaborative designed to improve instructional quality and culture within at-risk feeder school systems in inner cities. This research-based school reform model reforms large urban school systems through incremental expansion, one K-12 feeder cluster at a time. It prescribes a strong, well-articulated K-12 curriculum that ensures that all students are insulated from academic failure, graduate from high school with direction, and pursue higher education. The targeted curricular areas are math, reading, classroom management and student discipline, parental involvement, and pursuit of college. The most prominent element/activity of the intervention is the provision of intensive professional development activities for all relevant personnel. The program also offers a college scholarship program and community support. The overall goal of the 1998-99 evaluation was to provide a summative assessment of project effectiveness/impact and formative assessment/documentation of its implementation elements and processes in the Houston Independent School District, Texas. Results indicate that the Project GRAD model had consistent, predictable, positive impacts on student discipline, academic performance, time on task, and college attendance. (Contains 63 references.) (SM)