Upward Bound Implementation Study
Contract Information
Current Status:
This study has been completed.
Duration:
July 2012 – November 2016
Cost:
$1,495,178
Contract Number:
ED-IES-10-C-0050
Contractor(s):
Decision Information Resources
Abt Associates
MPR Associates
Contact:
Reports
Upward Bound, one of eight Federal TRIO Programs, provides fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance. The program provides opportunities for participants to succeed in their precollege performance and ultimately in their higher education pursuits. Upward Bound serves: high school students from low-income families; and high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education.
The Higher Education Act of 2008 required the U.S Department of Education to conduct an evaluation of a promising practice that has the potential to improve outcomes for students participating in the Upward Bound program. The purpose of this study was to describe how Upward Bound grantees implemented their projects, in order to help inform an impact evaluation of promising practices.
- How were Upward Bound projects implemented? What were common (or uncommon but potentially promising) practices?
A survey was administered in July to September 2013 to all 800+ regular Upward Bound project directors to collect information about the strategies they used in delivering services. The survey data were analyzed to describe how Upward Bound projects were implemented and identify common (or uncommon but promising) practices that could inform future program improvement studies.
A report, titled Upward Bound at 50: Reporting on Implementation Practices Today, was released in November 2016.
- In four of the seven core service areas required by statute—coursework, tutoring, college exposure, and college application assistance—there was a dominant approach (used by at least 50 percent of projects) to how projects focused their activities. There was no dominant approach to how projects focused their efforts when it came to academic advising, ACT/SAT prep, and financial aid prep services.
- When, where, and how services were delivered differed across service areas. For example, tutoring and college entrance exam preparation services were most commonly delivered in groups, while academic advising, college application assistance, and financial aid assistance were typically provided one-on-one.
- Variation in the focus and delivery of services appears related to the urbanicity and type of institution (4-year, 2-year, and non-higher education) that hosts the project but not to other project characteristics examined. There were few substantive differences (at least 10 percentage points) in the percentage of projects reporting each potential approach by project size (number of students served), per-student funding, and whether the host institution was a Minority-Serving Institution.