Trio of Interns Come to Defense of Trio Program
Haydee Núñez, Elvira Cortez and Caroline Misan

Funds for the popular education programs Upward Bound and Talent Search would be eliminated in President Bush's proposed 2006 budget.

Upward Bound was included in President Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty to help veterans and high school students pursue a college education.

Talent Search was developed a year later, as were several other programs including Student Support Services and Veterans Upward Bound, making up the Department of Education TRIO college-preparatory models.

With their elimination, the Bush Administration plans to expand the President's No Child Left Behind Act, which targets high school students. Of course, both TRIO and NCLB have the similar purpose of preparing students for college, but the latter will only provide nationally set standards for testing - something that does not compare to the one-on-one academic counseling and guidance students receive with the TRIO program.

The Talent Search programs serve young people in grades six through 12 by providing counseling services that present information regarding college admissions, scholarships and various financial aid programs.

This early intervention helps students from families where neither parent graduated from college, and family earnings are under $24,000.

Upward Bound also helps young students prepare for higher education by offering instruction in literature, composition, mathematics and science on college campuses after school, on Saturdays, and during the summer.

With more than 1,400 college campuses offering Upward Bound and Talent Search programs, roughly 450,000 students from disadvantaged backgrounds have been helped. This number does not include some 5,000 veterans who, through the Upward Bound for Veterans Program, attain access to academic support services after dedicating time to military service.

Currently, 37 percent of TRIO students are white, 35 percent are African American, 19 percent Hispanic, 4 percent Native American, and 4 percent Asian American. More than 15,500 have disabilities.

Critics have argued that the TRIO programs have had virtually no effect on the college enrollment rates of its participants. However, a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education in 1997 found that two impacts emerge early on from Upward Bound.

First, students who participate in it complete more schooling than students who do not.

Second, the program has a positive impact on the number of academic courses participants take during high school. These programs are unique in several ways, including the one-on-one counselor relationships and their focus on early intervention to keep students on a track to college success. Students benefiting from this distinctive formula are twice as likely to remain in college and four times as likely to earn a degree.

With much success, two million TRIO students have graduated from college. Alumni from Upward Bound and Talent Search consist of doctors, lawyers, administrators, engineers, government officials and many other leaders in the public and private spheres of corporate America.

Even with the great achievements of the programs, with a combined budget of $460 million, only 7 percent of eligible students are actually served. TRIO programs need to receive more funding, not less, to serve all the eligible students who would benefit.

While no government program is ever perfect, the flaws present in the No Child Left Behind law make it more imperative that programs such as those provided by TRIO exist. Without a significant increase in their funding, they will not be able to maintain and develop their services to assist those eligible students who are not being helped.

President Bush is requesting to reduce TRIO funding for 2006 in order to shift high-school-related TRIO resources to the proposed High School Intervention initiative. However, the No Child Left Behind High School Intervention initiative would not be helped by much, nor be substantially affected from the funds received from eliminating TRIO since his initiative is projected to cost about $1.5 billion.

With TRIO, students receive individualized attention that can help them overcome the source of poor academic performance. Poverty, neglect and other social disadvantages are issues TRIO workers specialize in dealing with because there is an understanding within the organization that one must address all aspects of the education system to improve it for all students.

The program has already helped millions of present-day college graduates. Given the opportunity, it would help millions more with a personalized formula that has worked for 40 years.

(The authors are spring semester interns with ASPIRA, a national organization which specializes in Hispanic youth leadership development programs. Haydee Núñez attends the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Elvira Cortez attends the University of California-Los Angeles, and Caroline Misan attends George Washington University in Washington, D.C.)

© 2005, Hispanic Link News Service
02/20/05
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