Running head: TRIO AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL 1

TRIO and Other Educational Opportunity Programs

Shakira Moreta

Salem State University

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A college education has become a requirement in the United States in order to even be

considered for an open position in most professions. Unfortunately not everyone has access to

the resources necessary in order to earn a college education. Therefore equity is an important

aspect of higher education. It is a common misconception that equity and equality are the same,

however equity is based on the needs of an individual. Students who come from low-income

families and first-generation students are less likely to attend college. In student affairs, first-

generation students are considered students whose parents have not earned a bachelor’s degree.

A functional area within student affairs that addresses the needs of low-income and first-

generation students is TRIO and Other Educational Opportunity Programs.

The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (2015) explains

TRIO and Other Educational Opportunity Programs in depth. The TRIO title refers to the three

initial programs, Upward Bound, Talent Search and Special Services for Disadvantaged

Students, which is now referred to as Student Support Services (CAS, 2015). TRIO programs are

federal programs designed to promote college access, provide student support, assistance with

transitioning from high school to college, and retention for students from low-income families,

first generation students and other underrepresented students, such as students with disabilities

(CAS, 2015). In order to accomplish their mission CAS (2015), states student affairs

professionals working in TRIO and Other Education Opportunity Programs must advocate for

access to higher education, report developmental needs of the students they serve, help their

students not only achieve their educational goals but develop them as well, and create an

environment that supports students’ different learning styles and recognizes the diversity of

backgrounds. Collaborating with families, institutions, schools and other organizations as well as
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helping students develop the skills necessary to graduate from college are also ways students

affairs professionals working in TRIO and Other Education Programs can achieve their mission

(CAS, 2015).

TRIO and Other Educational Opportunity Programs

TRIO programs began with the Upward Bound program, which developed from the

Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 (CAS, 2015). Upward Bound is a program that provides high

school students with the skills they need to complete high school and college preparation (CAS,

2015). CAS (2015) states that students who participate in the Upward Bound program are given

academic instruction throughout the year and during the summer on college campuses, which

could make the transition from high school to college much easier. Along with academic

instruction, Upward Bound participants have access to services such as tutoring, academic,

financial and personal counseling, help with the college application and financial aid process and

preparation for college entrance exams such as the SAT (CAS, 2015). Upward Bound added the

Veteran’s Upward Bound in 1972 in order to aid the large amount of veterans that were returning

from Vietnam with a limited amount of education (CAS, 2015). Today the Veteran’s Upward

Bound assists veterans who wish to earn a college degree (CAS, 2015). In 1990 Upward Bound

expanded once again, adding the Upward Bound Math-Science Program (CAS, 2015). This

program was created to help fill the achievement gaps in science, technology, engineering and

math (STEM) among first-generation and low-income students (CAS, 2015). CAS (2015) states

that Upward Bound Math-Science motivates their students to pursue a degree in the STEM by

offering intensive math and science courses, the opportunity to participate in research activities

and computer training.

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Talent Search was initiated in 1965 in order to provide students with information about

the new financial aid opportunities (CAS, 2015). Talent Search serves as a resource for middle

school and high school students. The program assists students in middle school and high school

complete their secondary education and pursue higher education, as well as encourage high

school dropouts to return to high school (CAS, 2015). Like Upward Bound, Talent Search

provides services such as academic, financial and person counseling, assistance with college and

financial aid applications, tutoring and preparation for college entrance exams; however they

also offer information about higher education and colleges visits, career counseling, mentoring

and family engagement activities (CAS, 2015).

Student Support Services, then Special Services for Disadvantaged Students, was created

in 1968 (CAS, 2015). The goal for Student Support Services is to provide motivation for high

school students to graduate, increase retention and graduation rates in higher education

institutions among these students, and assist students in two year institutions in transferring to

four year institutions after they complete their two year program (CAS, 2015). Like Upward

Bound and Talent Search, Student Support Services serves students who come from low-income

families and are first-generation students. They also serve students with disabilities. Student

Support Services offers tutoring and basic skills instruction, financial literacy information,

support with graduate school admission and additional services for students who are English

language learners, homeless or who aged out of the foster care system (CAS, 2015).

The Educational Opportunity Centers was created by the Higher Education Amendments

of 1972 (CAS, 2015). The purpose of this program is to offer counseling and information

concerning college admissions and financial aid for those students who qualify and participate in

the program (CAS, 2010). Along with providing counseling and information, this program offers
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financial and economic literacy, support for completing college applications, and testing and

financial aid support (CAS, 2012). CAS (2015) states the Educational Opportunity Centers reach

out to educational institutions and community partnerships in order to coordinate provision

referrals, tutoring and mentoring.

The Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program differs from the others.

Like Student Support Services, this program works with students during their undergraduate

career, however the goal of the McNair program is to encourage students from low-income

families and first-generation students with pursuing a graduate and doctoral degree (CAS, 2015).

Similar to the other TRIO and other educational opportunity programs, the McNair program

offers mentoring, tutoring and counseling services and support with financial aid and admission

(CAS, 2015). However they also offer assistance with preparing for the GRE exam, and summer

research internships (CAS, 2015).

Although not a TRIO program, the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for

Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) also provides college preparation for students from low-

income families (CAS, 2015). GEAR UP is a grant funded program of the U.S. Depart of

Education that serves students starting in seventh grade and will follow their students throughout

high school and their first year in college (CAS, 2015). The services GEAR UP offers are

tutoring, mentoring, academic preparation, and assistance with financial aid and college

scholarships (CAS, 2015).

TRIO Programs in Different Higher Education Institutions

According to the TRIO and Other Educational Opportunity Programs CAS Standards and

Guidelines, their mission is to prepare and support those who are underrepresented in higher

education due to income, family educational history, or disability, for admission and completion
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of higher education (CAS, 2015). Although the CAS standards serve as a guideline for higher

education institutions, different colleges and universities may achieve their mission in different

ways and offer different TRIO and Other Educational Opportunity Programs. Boston University

is a private research institution, committed to educating their students on how to be insightful,

creative students that are ready to live, adjust and lead and interconnected world (Boston

University, 2016). The university believe in making their institution accessible to all students and

that the research, scholarship and artistic creation should be connected to the community,

whether it be locally or internationally (Boston University, 2016). North Shore Community

College aims to motivate their students to become engaged and achieve their personal, academic

and career goals through educational opportunities that are accessible, affordable and associated

with the workforce needs in order to prepare them for the future (North Shore Community

College, 2015).

Boston University offers the Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math-Science program

through Boston University’s Boston Public Schools Collaborative Office within the Boston

University School of Education (Boston University, 2016). There are currently eighty-six

students participating in the Upward Bound program at Boston University, fifty of the students

are in the Upward Bound Math-Science program (M. Dennehy, personal communication,

October 21, 2016). During the school year, students participating in Upward Bound and Upward

Bound Math-Science participate in after school tutoring and academic courses two days a week

on the Boston University campus (M. Dennehy, personal communication, October 21, 2016).

The afterschool program offers homework help on one day and test preparation on the other (M.

Dennehy, personal communication, October 21, 2016). During the public school vacation weeks,

the Upward Bound Math-Science program hosts field trips led by the Boston University faculty
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and doctoral students (M. Dennehy, personal communication, October 21, 2016). During the

summer, Boston University holds a six-week residential program (M. Dennehy, personal

communication, October 21, 2016). Throughout the six-week residential program, on

Wednesdays, students in the Upward Bound program participate in community service while

students in the Upward Bound Math-Science program participate in intensive laboratory

experiences (M. Dennehy, personal communication, October 21, 2016). M. Dennehy (personal

communication, October 21, 2016) stated students are in class for most of the morning and

participate in study hall in the afternoon during the summer residential program.

North Shore Community College offers Educational Opportunity Center, Talent Search,

Upward Bound and Student Support Services (North Shore Community College, 2015). The

mission of the TRIO and Student Support Services office at North Shore Community College is

to support the students realize their potential, gain access to higher education and become

successful (North Shore Community College, 2015). They also want to motivate the students

who participate in the TRIO programs to graduate and then transfer to a four-year college (D.

Dickerson, personal communication, October 3, 2016). Students who participate in the TRIO

programs at North Shore Community College are assigned an advisor beginning their first

semester at the college up until they graduate. Even if a student takes a semester off, the advisor

will continue to touch base with the student in order to make sure that the student will return to

earn their degree (D. Dickerson, personal communication, October 3, 2016). The North Shore

Community College TRIO and Student Support Services office makes the advising meetings a

mandatory part of the program and the tutoring sessions optional for students who seek extra

help (D. Dickerson, personal communication, October 3, 2016). The reason that the advising

meetings are mandatory is because the faculty/staff want to assure the students that they
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genuinely do care about students success as well as they want to make sure that the students

know where they stand academically (D. Dickerson, personal communication, October 3, 2016).

D. Dickerson (personal communication, October 3, 2016) explained that in order to keep track of

student’s strengths, they use a program called Strengths Quest. They use this program in order to

show students where they are doing well, in order to provide them with positive feedback versus

only talking about what their weaknesses are (D. Dickerson, personal communication, October 3,

2016). In order to make sure that students begin to consider transferring to a four-year college

after earning their associates degree, the TRIO and Student Support Services office will bring

students on college visits, mainly to state schools, however more and more of their students end

up transferring to private colleges (D. Dickerson, personal communication, October 3, 2016).

North Shore Community College like four-year colleges want their students to feel a sense of

belonging and feel as if they are a part of their school’s community. The TRIO and Student

Support Services office provides community service opportunities such as fund raising by selling

plants and treats and collecting food and gift cards for homeless high school students (D.

Dickerson, personal communication, October 3, 2016). D. Dickerson (personal communication,

October 3, 2016) also stated that TRIO and Student Support Services at North Shore Community

College created a Student Advisory Committee where students plan events. Cultural events such

as concerts at Berklee College of Music, Alvin and Ailey dance shows, and bowling are offered

in order to create a family feel amongst the students in the TRIO and Student Support Services

programs (D. Dickerson, personal communication, October 3, 2016).

Determining whether or not TRIO programs are successful at North Shore Community

College is difficult. The success of the TRIO programs at North Shore Community College

depends on whether the student graduates from the community college within two to four years,
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however the goal is to make sure that students transfer to four-year colleges (D. Dickerson,

personal communication, October 3, 2016). Some students decide to transfer before graduating

therefore the TRIO and Student Support Services department does not meet their goal (D.

Dickerson, personal communication, October 3, 2016). Based on the goals of the college, the

college needs to apply for a new grant every five years (D. Dickerson, personal communication,

October 3, 2016). D. Dickerson (personal communication, October 3, 2016) mentioned that their

department tries their best to do the same amount of work in order to make sure that their staff

and students do not suffer, however it is difficult because funding has not increased. Unlike

North Shore Community College, Upward Bound at Boston University is able to make up for the

lack of funding because the university has provided cost shares (M. Dennehy, personal

communication, October 21, 2016).

TRIO and Other Education Opportunity Program Professionals

Depending on the type of institution, the opportunities for employment may differ. At

Boston University, there is a Project Director for Upward Bound, a Director for Upward Bound

Math-Science, College and Academic Coordinators, and an Academic Resource Counselor. The

Project Director oversees the whole program (M. Dennehy, personal communication, October

21, 2016). The College and Academic Counselors support the students with the college and

financial aid application process whereas the Academic Resource Counselor reviews their grades

and schedules the tutoring sessions (M. Dennehy, personal communication, October 21, 2016).

In order to be considered for an entry level college and academic coordinator position, a

bachelors degree and two to three years of experience is required (M. Dennehy, personal

communication, October 21, 2016). M. Dennehy (personal communication, October 21, 2016)

also stated that in order to qualify for an academic resource counselor or director position in
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Upward Bound, a master’s degree in education, social work, or related field is preferred and for

Upward Bound Math-Science a master’s degree in the STEM field is preferred. During the fall

semester at Boston University, student affairs professionals in Upward Bound/Upward Bound

Math-Science are very focused on recruiting at high school and their annual reports as well as

hiring and training their tutors and instructional staff, and creating the student’s schedules for the

after school program. During the spring semester student affairs professional in Upward

Bound/Upward Bound Math-Science are more focused on the after school program, recruiting

for the summer and preparing the summer residential program (M. Dennehy, personal

communication, October 21, 2016). M. Dennehy (personal communication, October 21, 2016)

expressed that it is very important that they make sure they are complying with state and federal

laws, following the university’s guidelines when it comes to finances, and that their staff is

aware of and understands the guidelines in order to implement them.

North Shore Community College has a Director for the TRIO and Student Support

Services department, two Academic Counselors on each of their campuses, an Administrative

Assistant, one part-time clerk and two tutors. Because of lack of funding, only one of the

Academic Counselors on each campus is full-time (D. Dickerson, personal communication,

October 3, 2016). D. Dickerson (personal communication, October 3, 2016) stated the

requirements to be considered for a position in the TRIO and Student Support Services

department at North Shore Community College are a master’s degree in a related field, a

minimum of three years of professional level experience in advising, career counseling or

working first-generation, low-income or students with disabilities, and care about working with

students from low-income, first generation students at the level.

TRIO Experience from a Participant’s Perspective

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Going through the college and financial aid application process can be difficult for a first-

generation student simply because their family does not understand the process because they did

not go through it themselves. Graham (2011) described her experience in the Upward Bound

College Prep program and how her experience prepared her for college. Like other participants

in Upward Bound, Graham was a first-generation who came from a low-income family (Graham,

2011). The Upward Bound College Prep program offered college preparation courses such as

English, math and science throughout the school year as well as tutoring for those classes

(Graham, 2011). The tutoring offered by Upward Bound not only helped her understand the

material but it also helped her maintain her grade point average in high school (Graham, 2011).

The Upward Bound summer program allows students to experience what it is like to take classes

in a college environment, live on a college campus and allows students to meet people from

different backgrounds (Graham, 2011). Students who take advantage of the Upward Bound

summer program have the opportunity to understand how much dedication it will take to succeed

in college, because of the structure of the program (Graham, 2011). Throughout her senior year

of high school, Upward Bound focused on preparation for college entrance exams such as the

ACT and other aspects of applying to college like applying for financial aid (Graham, 2011).

Upward Bound helped Graham feel more prepared than most first-generation students their first

year of college because she was exposed to the college campus, she knew what resources were

available to her and she was able to her first-generation student status as motivation (Graham,

2011).

During her undergraduate career, Graham also participated in the McNair program

(Graham, 2011). Rather than attending classes like in Upward Bound, Graham attended seminars

in regard to applying and succeeding in graduate school (Graham, 2011). Graham (2011) stated
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that the seminars reviewed what graduate schools looked for in their potential students, how to

search for graduate programs, how to write personal statements and the transition from

undergraduate to graduate school. The McNair program provided Graham with the opportunity

to participate in summer research as well as be matched with a faculty mentor which assisted her

with networking (Graham, 2011). Graham (2011) stated that TRIO programs provided her with

the resources necessary for her to feel prepared to succeed professionally and personally in her

academic journey.

Areas of Improvement

Although TRIO and Other Educational Opportunity Programs have been successful, there

is room for improvement. Student Support Services works with at risk students through advising,

tutoring and other academic support in order to help retain and graduate at the students

participating in the program that they believe are at risk of not graduating (Grier-Reed &

Ganuza, 2012). Grier-Reed and Ganuza (2012) created a constructivist career course that would

help students that participate in the Student Support Services program gain self-efficacy in

regard to career decisions, because Student Support Services mainly focuses on academic

support. The goal of this course was that students would develop skills in self-reflection,

identifying their strengths and problem solving in order to be able to believe in their abilities

relating to career decisions (Grier-Reed & Ganuza, 2012). Towards the end of the course

students in the Student Support Services program were had more confidence in their abilities to

set goals, problem solve, plan and assess their strengths (Grier-Red & Ganuza, 2012). Deciding

what to study in college can be very difficult, which would only make deciding on a career path

more difficult. Connecting a constructivist career course such as the one Grier-Reed and Ganuza

created, with Student Support Services could help the program reach their goal of retaining and
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graduating more students from low-income families, first-generation students and students with

disabilities.

Although more students from low-income families and first-generation students are

enrolling in college that does not mean that they will all graduate. TRIO and Other Education

Opportunity Programs are working towards making sure that all students from low-income

families and first-generation students have access higher education as well as making sure that

those that enroll graduate. The level of parents have received can influence high school

graduation and college enrollment rates (Ward, 2006). GEAR UP promotes a math program that

is family-focused which creates learning opportunities for parents and encourages their children

to take math courses at a higher level (Ward, 2006). Ward (2006) stated that in order to fill the

gap for scholarships, GEAR UP provided parents with information about the sequence of

academic courses, how to select colleges and how to apply for financial aid.

Unfortunately, there is limited funding for TRIO and Other Educational Opportunity

Programs. Grants are applied for every five years. Increasing funding for TRIO and Other

Educational Opportunity Programs could potentially continue to increase the college enrollment

and graduation rates of low-income and first-generation students. D. Dickerson (personal

communication, October 3, 2016) mentioned that the TRIO and Student Support Services

department tries to do the same amount of work however, because the grants are given every five

years that limits what the program is able to do.

Conclusion

For over fifty years, TRIO and Other Educational Opportunity Programs have been

working towards increasing college enrollment and graduation rates among students from low-

income families and first-generation students. In order to continue to increase these rates TRIO
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and Other Educational Opportunity Programs must be staffed with individuals who are capable

in order to make sure that mission and goals of the programs are accomplished (CAS, 2015). It is

also important that staff genuinely cares about what the program is working towards, that way

students realize that they have a support system that wants to see them succeed (D. Dickerson,

personal communication, October 3, 2016).

Many first-generation and low-income students enter college not knowing what to expect

because of lack of resources. Knowing what to expect when beginning your college career can

influence retention in college among first-generation and low-income students. Programs like

Upward Bound allow students to explore college campuses and take college level classes,

making their transition from high school to college much easier their first semester. As Graham

(2011) mentioned, participating in Upward Bound, which was structured, taught her how much

of her time she had to invest in her education in order to be succeed academically. When she

began her first year in college, she had more freedom in her schedule, but managing her time was

not as difficult as it would be for a first-generation student who did not participate in Upward

Bound (Graham, 2011).

First-generation students may feel as if they are going through the application and

financial aid process alone because their families are unfamiliar with it. Including parents in this

process may also help motivate students to enroll in college. Programs like GEAR UP

collaborate with families in order to include them in the process as well as educate them on how

to help their children apply to college, choose which college to go to and what their options are

financially (Ward, 2006).

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References

BU – Boston University: Mission Statement. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2016, from

https://www.bu.edu/info/about/mission-statement/

Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education. (2015). TRIO and Other

Educational Opportunity Programs. In Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher

Education (Ed.), CAS professional standards for higher education (9th ed.). Washington,

DC: Author.

Graham, L. (2011). Learning a new world: Reflections on being a first-generation college student

and the influence of TRIO programs. New Directions for Teaching & Learning, 2011(127),

33-38. doi:10.1002/tl.455

Grier-Reed, T., Ganuza, Z., & Torres, V. (2012). Using constructivist career development to

improve career decision self-efficacy in TRiO students. Journal of College Student

Development, 53(3), 464-471.

NSCC - North Shore Community College: Mission, Vision and Values. (n.d.). Retrieved

November 17, 2016, from http://www.northshore.edu/mission/

Ward, N. L. (2006). Improving equity and access for low-income and minority youth into

institutions of higher education. Urban Education, 41(1), 50-70.

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