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ExpectMore.govExpectMore.gov home pageEXPECT FEDERAL PROGRAMS TO PERFORM WELL, AND BETTER EVERY YEAR.
 
Program Assessment

Program

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TRIO Upward Bound

This program is designed to increase the college enrollment rate of low-income middle and high school students whose parents did not attend college. Upward Bound grants are awarded to institutions of higher education and other entities to provide intensive tutoring, counseling, and other services to these students.

Rating

What This Rating Means

NOT PERFORMING
Ineffective

Programs receiving this rating are not using your tax dollars effectively. Ineffective programs have been unable to achieve results due to a lack of clarity regarding the program's purpose or goals, poor management, or some other significant weakness.
  • Interim findings from an evaluation of the Upward Bound program, released in 2004, indicated that Upward Bound had not been effective in increasing the overall college enrollment rates of its participants. The Department of Education (ED) took steps to improve student targeting on students at higher risk of academic failure who may be in greater need of program services.
  • The program has not been able to demonstrate improved efficiences. However, ED developed an Upward Bound efficiency measure and is developing a strategy to increase cost effectiveness.
  • Statutory and regulatory provisions for rewarding prior experience limit the number of first-time applicants that successfully compete for grants. However, ED took steps to ensure that projects were rewarded only for demonstrated performance.

Improvement Plan

About Improvement Plans

We are taking the following actions to improve the performance of the program:

  • Implementing a strategy to use efficiency measures to improve cost effectiveness in achieving the program goals.
  • Developing targets for the efficiency measure.
  • Releasing the final report from the Upward Bound evaluation.

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