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Upward Bound

PURPOSE

Upward Bound at University of Central Arkansas has been serving high school students in the target area since September 1, 2003. The project provides fundamental services, resources, and support to participants in preparation of college entrance and completion. Participants are immersed in opportunities designed to increase success in their pre-college performance and, ultimately, in higher education pursuits as well. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants enroll in and graduate from institutions of higher education.

Upward Bound strives to provide academic challenges, emotional support, and social development in order to positively impact participants’ self-concept, enhance their growth, and realize their full potential. From the point of enrollment through their high school graduation (and some beyond), students are encouraged to persist in the program in order to maximize their experiences and achieve their highest success in their academic and personal development which will progress them beyond their high school career into postsecondary education.

IMPORTANCE

To understand the importance of Upward Bound, one would only need to review the obstacles faced by the target population. Before entering the program, many participants never considered college a viable option whether personal factors discouraged the probability or community norms accepted the odds against them as too great.

FUNDING

Upward Bound at University of Central Arkansas is 100% federally-funded by the U.S. Department of Education at $309,505 annually to serve eligible high school students who aspire to complete higher education. Upward Bound is one of many federal TRIO programs funded to identify and provide services to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. The project at UCA is just one of over 900 Upward Bound programs operating throughout the United States.

OBJECTIVESIMG_2470

The project is intended to fulfill six student objectives, and a comprehensive plan has been developed for evaluating progress in meeting said objectives.

  1. Academic Performance-Grade Point Average (GPA): 80% of participants served during the project year will have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better on a four-point scale at the end of the school year.
  2. Academic Performance on Standardized Test: 43% of UB seniors served during the project year will have achieved at the proficient level on state assessments in reading/language arts and math.
  3. Secondary School Retention and Graduation: 90% of project participants served during the project year will continue in school for the next academic year, at the next grade level, or will have graduated from secondary school with a regular secondary school diploma.
  4. Secondary School Graduation (Rigorous Secondary School Program of Study): 63% of all current and prior-year UB participants who graduated from high school during the school year with a regular secondary school diploma will complete a rigorous secondary school program of study.
  5. Postsecondary Enrollment: 65% of all current and prior-year UB participants who graduated from high school during the school year with a regular secondary school diploma will enroll in a program of postsecondary education by the fall term immediately following high school graduation or will have received notification by the fall term immediately following high school from an institution of higher education of acceptance but deferred enrollment until the next academic semester (e.g., spring semester).
  6.  Postsecondary Completion: 37% of participants who enrolled in a program of postsecondary education, by the fall term immediately following high school graduation or by the next academic term (e.g., spring term) as a result of acceptance but deferred enrollment, will attain either an associate or bachelor’s degree within six years following graduation from high school.

 

RESEARCH

Research shows more than eighty percent (80%) of Upward Bound graduates nation-wide enter institutions of higher education. Upward Bound graduates are more than twice as likely to enroll in postsecondary education as students from similar backgrounds who did not participate in an Upward Bound program. Six years after high school graduation, Upward Bound students are up to four times more likely to earn a college degree as students from similar backgrounds who did not participate in an Upward Bound program. Given these results, it is evident participation is positively related to immediate entry into postsecondary (college) education and completion of an undergraduate (college) degree.

For more facts and figures on federal TRIO programs, visit https://coenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/TRIO-Fast-Facts-and-Figures_March-2023.pdf