Upward Bound changes coming ...
Monday, September 25, 2006
The Upward Bound grant competition was published in the September 22, 2006 Federal Register. We now know that our grant application is due by November 6 and some potentially major changes are coming for UB in the form of final priorities.
Very soon we will no longer be able to accept students who have completed 10th grade. While we didn't accept many 11th graders, we have always had the ability to make decisions based on individual's needs. No more. In a short time (we think about a month from now), only ninth and tenth graders may be admitted to UB.
In addition, while all low-income students and those who would be the first in their families to attend college are "at risk" for not going to or graduating from college no matter what their academic achievement, the Department of Education has issueda new requirement that at least 30% of new students be ninth graders who have low grades or achievement test scores.
Finally, the Department will conduct a study in 2007-2008 (no program knows yet if it will be in the study or not) which will require programs to recruit twice as many students as it plans to accept and then have someone else choose who will get into the program and who will never be able to receive UB services (the "control group.")
To those of us who know UB works, this is like asking cancer patients to volunteer to receive a placebo instead of life-saving treatments. But this is now the rule.
Of course, the Bush administration has tried to "zero out" Upward Bound for the past three years, so this may all be moot.
But, if you're a new 11th grader and you're thinking about UB, it's now or never. Call us.
Very soon we will no longer be able to accept students who have completed 10th grade. While we didn't accept many 11th graders, we have always had the ability to make decisions based on individual's needs. No more. In a short time (we think about a month from now), only ninth and tenth graders may be admitted to UB.
In addition, while all low-income students and those who would be the first in their families to attend college are "at risk" for not going to or graduating from college no matter what their academic achievement, the Department of Education has issueda new requirement that at least 30% of new students be ninth graders who have low grades or achievement test scores.
Finally, the Department will conduct a study in 2007-2008 (no program knows yet if it will be in the study or not) which will require programs to recruit twice as many students as it plans to accept and then have someone else choose who will get into the program and who will never be able to receive UB services (the "control group.")
To those of us who know UB works, this is like asking cancer patients to volunteer to receive a placebo instead of life-saving treatments. But this is now the rule.
Of course, the Bush administration has tried to "zero out" Upward Bound for the past three years, so this may all be moot.
But, if you're a new 11th grader and you're thinking about UB, it's now or never. Call us.
