Impact Evaluation of the Upward Bound's Increased Focus on Higher-Risk Students

Contractors: Abt Associates, Inc., Urban Institute, and Berkeley Policy Associates

Key Staff:
Alan Werner, Project Director (Abt Associates)

Research Questions:

• What are the impacts of Upward Bound on student outcomes—including course taking, grades received, test scores, retention in high school, college preparation services received, and college and career expectations—both overall and for higher-risk students?
• Does the impact of Upward Bound vary according to grantee practices and characteristics?
• Does there appear to be a relationship between program impacts and control group students' receipt of similar services, such as tutoring, mentoring, after-school and summer enrichment programs, and college application and financial aid assistance?

Design: This evaluation is investigating the impacts of the Upward Bound program on preparation for college by students at high risk for academic failure as well as on other eligible students who are low-income or potential first-generation college students. A total of 101 host institutions awarded Upward Bound funds in FY 2007 have been selected to participant in the evaluation. Approximately 3,600 eligible new students applying to these projects for the 2007-2008 project year will be randomly assigned to Upward Bound and control groups of equal size. Random assignment will not affect the number of eligible students grantees are funded to serve, and control groups students will be free to seek services from any source other than Upward Bound. A grantee coordinator survey, collection of student transcript data, and a follow-up student survey are planned to occur between the fall of 2008 and the fall of 2009. Case studies including site visits to approximately 20 grantees are planned to occur during the fall of 2010, in order to highlight practices and characteristics of grantees that the impact analysis indicates are associated with positive impacts on student outcomes.

Duration: 60 months (September 2006 to September 2011).

NOTE: This study may be followed by a second impact study focusing on postsecondary outcomes for the same sample of students.

Reports:
First Impact Report: September 2010
Case Study Report: September 2011
(NOTE: Additional impact reports, focusing on postsecondary outcomes, may be prepared under a subsequent contract that would begin in 2011.)
The final report on this study will be announced on http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/.

Current Status: (December 2007) As of December 2007, the contractor has: refined its data collection and analysis plan based on ED, expert consultant, IRB, and OMB review; sampled grantees to participate in the evaluation; and begun baseline data collection and random assignment of students, starting with those projects admitting students for the summer of 2007. This process is expected to continue through the spring of 2008.