III.  Outreach and College-Preparation Programs

The next two chapters present a synthesis of what has been learned about outreach programs and other efforts to increase the numbers of disadvantaged and underrepresented students who are well-prepared for higher education.  In this chapter we provide a broad review of programs, focusing on the evaluation findings pertaining to program effectiveness and efficiency.  The review is organized by clusters of programs with brief synopses of programs that are exemplars of each cluster.  In Chapter IV we draw upon the evidence in these program evaluations in order to make judgments about effective programs and practices. 

An Overview of UC Outreach Programs
The first outreach programs were instituted by the University more than a quarter of a century ago. These early outreach programs grew out of recruitment efforts organized by campus admissions offices.  By targeting small numbers of students in nearby high schools with information and motivational activities, admissions staff significantly increased the University attendance of students from groups with low eligibility and college-going rates.

In 1975 the University conducted a study of educational opportunities for underrepresented students and concluded that the primary barrier to access and retention for these students was insufficient academic preparation.  In other words, too few of these students were taking the University-required courses or doing well enough in these course to qualify for admission.  Following this study the State Legislature for the first time appropriated funds for affirmative action programs leading to the first system-wide outreach programs.  These resources helped initiate programs such as the Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) and helped expand other programs such as Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Achievement (MESA).

Over the years, the University's efforts to improve the college preparation of underrepresented students have proliferated.  There has been an enormous increase not only in the numbers of such programs  but in their composition and structure as well.  Programs have expanded in scope to include many more components in particular, components designed to enhance the academic preparation of K-12 students.  Recognizing the critical importance of early intervention, outreach programs have extended services to students and parents in junior high and even in some instances, in elementary school.

There are system-wide programs and campus-based programs.  There are programs that are operated on the student services side of the University and other programs organized by academic faculty.  The nature of collaboration of the University with K-12 schools and with other higher education institutions is also highly varied.  Some programs are operated solely by the University while others involve strong collaboration and resource-sharing among institutions.  What is missing is an overall University of California framework within which these programs effectively could operate.

Concomitant with the tremendous increase in the ethnic diversity of California and with a deepening understanding of the barriers to equitable participation in higher education by underrepresented students, some programs have been expanded or specifically designed to assist K-12 schools in overall improvement efforts.  There are compelling arguments for increasing efforts to prepare educationally disadvantaged students for college with school-wide programs and "systemic" initiatives.  Low-income and minority students are concentrated in K-12 schools which have historically done a poor job of preparing students by virtually any measure.

If outreach programs might be compared to a life raft on a sinking ship, the argument is that the University can only accomplish its goal of enrolling and graduating increased numbers well-prepared disadvantaged students if it does not focus exclusively on offering life rafts but also helps to save the ship.  Hence a variety of programs which do not provide direct student services are now part of the discussion of strategies for increasing the eligibility and competitiveness of underrepresented students.  Prominent among such programs are the California Subject Matter Projects (CSMPs) and various teacher training and induction programs such as Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA).

The net result of the evolution of a multiplicity of approaches is that there are now a myriad of programs which might be thought of as contributing in some way to the overall diversity goal.  In 1995, The UC Office of the President published The Schools and UC, a directory of more than 800 programs related to the University's involvement in K-12 education.  A substantial portion of these programs might be considered in a review of the universities overall efforts to increase the pool of college-prepared students.

BACK  | HOME  |  NEXT