DEA — Proof of Model · Two Years · Four Cohorts
GOALS SET.
GOALS SURPASSED.
Summer 2025 was proof of concept — every goal met or exceeded. Spring 2026 was proof of model: we learned exactly what it takes. Two years, two independent Big Thought evaluations, and the result held.
100%
Core pilot goals met or exceeded
With students across two cohorts
8.9/10
Average student referral rating
Every student would recommend the program. No detractors.
NPS 60
"Excellent" Net Promoter Score
“Excellent” band — every student would recommend to some degree
50+
Hours of training & mentorship delivered
Older cohort: 40+ hrs direct instruction · younger cohort: ~18 hrs
+27 pts
Increase in students seeing game design as a career
Measured intake to exit. 13% of the core cohort also returned to full-time school enrollment.
★★★★★
"Outstanding" student engagement
Six Dimensions of Quality methodology
"I feel like my interest in Game Design changed more than my understanding. I started having fun and making an effort to be here."
DEA Student — Summer 2025
"Dreams Experience Academy allowed me to make new friends, I met important people like Dr. Dre, and I found an interest in gaming that I didn't know existed."
DEA Student — Summer 2025
"I can see myself doing this and being successful in it."
DEA Student — Summer 2025
"On my first day, a student interrupted me to say she was not interested in game design. A few weeks later, she was glowing. All we'd done is consistently show her that her ideas were valuable."
DEA Faculty — Summer 2025
The Operating Spec
BELOW THE THRESHOLD, DEA IS AN ACTIVITY. ABOVE IT, DEA IS AN INTERVENTION.
Almost no organization in this field can tell you its minimum effective dose. We can — and that number is the difference between a program and an operating spec you can hand to another city.
≤ 5 hours
0
No measurable growth
6–8 hours
7.5
Threshold crossed
≥ 9 hours
8.8
Full activation
Average student-rated impact score (1–10) by hours of direct instruction.
Cross-Year Continuity
TWO YEARS. TWO EVALUATIONS. THE SAME RESULT.
8.1
Summer 2025
student-rated program impact
→
7.9
Spring 2026
average impact score
The model holds even when the people change.
Different students. Different sites. Different delivery models. Independently measured a year apart. Essentially flat.
Replication
WE RAN FOUR COHORTS.
THE ONES THAT WORKED SHARE THREE THINGS.
For Oak Cliff · Sum '25
Session2 hrs
StabilityStable
Site supportStrong
Reached dose100%
St. Philip's · Spr '26
SessionSchool-day
StabilityStable
Site supportStrong
Reached dose100%
Moorland YMCA · Sum '25
Session1 hr
StabilityRotating
Site supportWeak
Reached dose50%
Texans Can · Spr '26
SessionVariable
StabilityVariable
Site support—
Reached dose40%
Placement isn't the failure condition. Instability is. St. Philip's students were placed in the program, exactly like the YMCA students — and 100% reached dose. Session length, cohort stability, and site support are what separate the cohorts that worked. We learned it twice, from two evaluations — these conditions weren't recommended to us, they were derived.
Persistence
STUDENTS STAY.
13%
of the Summer 2025 core cohort who were not previously enrolled full-time subsequently returned to full-time school enrollment
89%
of Spring 2026 exit respondents plan to remain enrolled full-time
100%
graduation rate, Summer 2025 older cohort
Against a chronic absenteeism problem this deck defines as reaching 46% in parts of Southern Dallas.
Continuous Learning & Improvement
WHAT SPRING 2026 TAUGHT US —
AND WHAT WE'RE DOING ABOUT IT.
What we learned
What we're doing
Why it's credible
Attendance treated as an input
Primary KPI, ≥75% target, tracked per student
Dallas College already conditions benefits on 44+ hours
Badges launched too late
Restored to Day 1
Issued at both sites in 2025 via DCoL, standards-aligned, two tiers
Outcomes self-reported only
Instructor-scored assessment at every site
6DQ observation and Final Presentation Rubric already exist
Incomplete baselines
Standardized intake and exit at every campus
DEA produced a valid pre/post result in 2025: +27 points
Site support varied
Written site-readiness agreement before launch
2025 identified this as the #1 implementation challenge
Every fix restores something DEA has already done successfully.
Innovation in Education Award
D Magazine / Dallas Innovates — 2025
Keynote Speaker
Yale Innovation Summit — 2025 & 2026
Keynote Speaker
Dallas Regional Chamber Tomorrow Summit — 2025
Keynote Speaker
Noodle: The Thinkers Convention — 2026
Featured Remarks
Dallas Regional Chamber Quality of Life Council — 2026
