Upward Bound

For other uses, see Upward Bound (disambiguation).
TRIO Upward Bound logo

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,[1] and those living in rural areas. The program works through individual grants, each of which covers a restricted geographic area and provide services to approximately 50 to 100 students annually.

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), and was transferred to the Department of Education after the enactment of the Higher Education Act of 1965.[2] It has an annual budget around $250,000,000.[3] Grants are usually made to institutes of lower education (universities), but some awards have been made to other non-profit organizations such as tribal organizations.[4] 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.

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.[4]

Most Upward Bound programs combine two approaches to student contact:

  1. A summer program where high school students take college prep classes and earn work experience at a college campus for six weeks.
  2. Weekly follow ups and possibly tutoring with students during the school year.

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 Oprah Winfrey, John Quiñones, Angela Bassett, Jose Hernandez, Troy Polamalu, Kenny Leon, Donna Brazile, Patrick Ewing, Henry Bonilla, Gwen Moore, David C. Pierre and Viola Davis. It has also been effective in gaining acceptance for its teaching methods, as in the case of the low-tech and low-cost approach used in the 1980s by its astronomy program for high school students in southern California, that was subsequently adopted by Dr Daniel Barth at Mount San Jacinto College.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Upward Bound Program". .ed.gov. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
  2. ↑ "Legislation, Regulations, and Guidance - Upward Bound Program". .ed.gov. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
  3. ↑ "Funding Status - Upward Bound Program". .ed.gov. 2011-02-17. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
  4. 1 2 "Eligibility - Upward Bound Program". .ed.gov. 2009-09-29. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
  5. ↑ "RTMC Astronomy Expo - Overview". 2013-05-20. Archived from the original on May 20, 2013. Retrieved 2014-06-28.

External links

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