TRiO Upward Bound logo.
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| Formation | August 26, 1965 |
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| Location | |
| Website | www2 |
Upward Bound is a federally funded educational program within the United States. The program is one of a cluster of programs now referred to as TRiO, all of which owe their existence to the federal Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 (the War on Poverty Program) and the Higher Education Act of 1965. Upward Bound programs are implemented and monitored by the United States Department of Education. The goal of Upward Bound is to provide certain categories of high school students better opportunities for attending college. The categories of greatest concern are those with low income, those with parents who did not attend college, and those living in rural areas. The program works through individual grants, each of which covers a restricted geographic area and provides services to approximately 59,000 students annually. The program focuses on academic and nonacademic resources and activities like visits to museums or tutoring for school work. Students are encouraged to be involved in Upward Bound for the entire academic year and a 6-week long summer program. Many students who are also granted access into the Upward Bound program are labeled as first generation college students, who are students that are the first in their family to attend college. This program is set in place for students who come from low income families as well as underrepresented schools and gives them an opportunity to excel in college.
History
The
program was launched in the summer of 1965 after the passage of the
Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 (The Federal War on Poverty) during
President Lyndon B. Johnson's administration, and was transferred to the
Department of Education after the enactment of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The idea of Upward Bound came from Stan Salett, a civil rights organizer, national education policy advisor and one of the creators of the Head Start Program. Upward Bound has an annual budget around $250,000,000.
Grants are usually made to institutes of higher education
(universities), but some awards have been made to other non-profit
organizations such as tribal organizations.
Each award made averages $4,691 per participant, with the most common
award providing $220,000 per grantee in 2004 and $250,000 in 2007.
Awards are for four or five years and are competitive. The law
providing for Upward Bound is 34 CFR Ch. VI Pt. 645. As federal
education grants, Upward Bound awards fall under EDGAR and OMB Circular A-21
financial guidelines. In 1990, Upward Bound added an additional program
called the Upward Bound Math-Science Program. It specializes in math
and science skills for TRiO eligible students to improve their
performance and motivation to pursue postsecondary enrollment.
Approach
Upward
Bound grants are results-based, with the level of success determined
largely from highly structured annual reports compared to grant
objectives. The program is available to students after their eighth
grade of school. Two-thirds of selected applicants must be low-income
and "potential first-generation college students," with the remaining
third of students meeting one of the requirements.
Most Upward Bound programs combine two approaches to student contact:
- A summer program where high school students take college prep classes and earn work experience at a college campus for four to six weeks.
- Weekly follow-ups and possibly tutoring with students during the school year.
Upward Bound Math-Science Program
The
Upward Bound Math-Science program (UBMS) was created for students to
have the opportunity to excel in the areas of math and science. Upward
Bound Math-Science helps strengthen students' math and science skills,
particularly those who come from areas that are underdeveloped. UBMS is a
program that was put in place by the federal government
and was there to provide not so fortunate children with the opportunity
to gain knowledge from mathematicians as well as scientists who have
experience in these fields. Students are in this program for 6 weeks and
have coursework in mathematics, laboratory science, as well as
literature. This program provides students with hands on experience in
labs and with fieldwork. The application process for UBMS is identical
to that for Upward Bound, however the programs differ in that UBMS is
more geared towards students who are interested in the fields of science
and technology. UBMS increased the odds of a student taking a science
course by raising the percentage from 78-88% in chemistry and from
43-58% in physics. UMBS has increased the likelihood that children will
achieve more in math and science and increase that drive to further
their interests in college. UBMS has also raised GPAs in math classes
for African-Americans as well as Hispanics.
Effectiveness
Several studies have shown that TRIO Upward Bound is tremendously successful.
A study released by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) in 2004,
provides a detailed analysis of program demographics. Notable alumni of
Upward Bound programs include John Quiñones, Angela Bassett, José M. Hernández, Troy Polamalu, Kenny Leon, Donna Brazile, Patrick Ewing, Henry Bonilla, and Viola Davis, Cardi B, Prince Eric.
The effectiveness and methodology of the programs vary program to
program. Local program directors determine the strategy most optimal for
its student based, from programs being very strict and hands on with
students, while other programs are more lenient in terms of student life
and academic management.
Teaching methodology vary from program to program from a low-tech
and low-cost approach used in the 1980s by an Upward Bound Astronomy
program for high school students in southern California, that was subsequently adopted by higher education programs such as Dr Daniel Barth's in program at Mount San Jacinto College.
According to a study done by Policy and Program Studies Service of the United States Department of Education,
in students with lower educational expectations, Upward Bound was shown
to increase both enrollment and credits earned at four-year
institutions. Repeated participation in Upward Bound until high school
graduation was shown to improve educational results such as the rate of
four-year college attendance and credits earned at four-year
institutions. Students who were enrolled in the Upward Bound program
were categorized into distinct groups based on the length of time they
participated. The groups were low-duration (1 to 12 months of
participation), medium-duration (13 to 24 months of participation) or
high-duration (25 or more months of participation), and also as program
completers (through graduation) or noncompleters. The results of the observational study
showed that an additional year participating in Upward Bound can
significantly improve students’ motivation and persistence to pursue
higher education, apply for financial aid, apply for highly selective 4 year college programs, and complete higher education.
Different effects were measured by looking at the data for
noncompleters and the impact of completing the program. The rate at
which the students would pursue postsecondary enrollment would increase
from 74% to 91%. There are confounding variables in this study, mostly
due to the characteristic of students who decide to stay involved in the
program and therefore have higher educational expectations for
themselves. The true effects of an additional year of participation may
be lower than the actual findings. The researchers attempted to control
for the variable by matching
participants with similar characteristics and different duration of
participation in the program. The general effect of Upward Bound is only
significantly seen in 4-year colleges.
In an examination of the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002, collected by the National Center for Education Statistics,
researchers found that only 7% of students eligible for federally
funded precollege programs enrolled in such programs. They found that
participating students were .576 times as likely not to enroll in a
four-year institution and .555 times as likely not to enroll in a
postsecondary institution of any kind compared to all eligible students.
However, Upward Bound students were 31% more likely to drop out of the
postsecondary institution in which they enrolled. Though some of the
statistics reporting participants' outcome are not optimal, the students
participating in Upward Bound are an academically vulnerable
population. Therefore, these results do not necessitate that Upward
Bound is a deficient program, but that the students may require more
support than they receive.
Another research study done by the University of Wisconsin
explains that many studies may have falsely suggested that Upward Bound
programs are not meeting their mission of increasing the rate of
college enrollment of underprivileged students. The researcher suggests
there are actual methodical and analysis errors in other researchers'
work and that these programs can close the success attainment gaps
between students from different socio-economic statuses.
Additionally, research at the Journal of Hispanic Higher Education
suggests that Upward Bound programs can specifically help more
(otherwise discouraged) Latino students pursue dreams of college. There
are low rates of enrollment of Latino students due to discouraging
factors like “policies that encourage quick job placement over career
development, lack of understanding of the benefits of a college degree,
lower expectations for Latino students, poor financial planning, and
lack of guidance”, but Upward Bound programs should help combat them and
support students. The key to these programs’ intervention is education
and providing students the opportunities that come with a college
education. As a result, it would motivate more students to go to college
and encourage them that college is attainable. They would also offer
more college preparation, guidance in college and help students plan to
ensure they not only enroll at an institution but also graduate and find
a career. A main drawback of these programs is that many students are
unaware that they are available to them. Another one is that these
programs should not just aim to get underprivileged students into
college but facilitate them finishing. Furthermore, with the Latino
population in this country growing, having more educated Latino students
could help bring more revenue and benefit society as a whole.
In response to misleading data being published on the efficacy of
Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math and Science programs in 2009, the Pell Institute
performed a re-analysis of positive impacts achieved by the programs.
Data reported by the Pell Institute shows positive effects found in
legislatively mandated programs. Upward Bound students were more likely
to receive a bachelor’s degree than students receiving no or less
thorough supplemental educational services. Of students participating in
an Upward Bound program, three-quarters enrolled at a post-secondary
educational institution within one year of their projected high school
completion, as opposed to less than half of students without access to
supplemental college services. One-fifth of Upward Bound students
enrolled in post-secondary education completed a degree within six years
of their high school graduation date, in contrast with less than
one-tenth of students without supplemental services.
Students enrolled in Upward Bound were shown to be more likely to
enroll in a four-year institution than students participating in
comparable programs, and were also less likely to enroll in remedial
courses.
Unique aspects of the Upward Bound program include a summer immersion
program conducted on college campuses. The program exposes students to
college-level rigor, while also allowing students to enter university
courses before high school completion bypassing the need for remedial
classes upon beginning postsecondary education.
Perceptions
Parents
In a study of parents of students of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's
Upward Bound program, the vast majority of parents reported that their
children took more challenging classes and received better grades after
attending the program. Parents reported that after the program, their
children seemed to have better attitudes regarding their own educational
attainment. Parents believed the program helped their children to
foster personal integrity, self-assuredness, and ambition. Parents also
believed that their children exhibited more mature behaviors, such as
budgeting money and reliable communication.
Participants
According
to a quantitative and qualitative study of 20 participants of an Upward
Bound program at a Midwestern community college, some students
mentioned that they did not plan to attend college before they attended
the Upward Bound program. Studied students received social and academic
preparation and felt they received more social than academic preparation
in the program.
