Services Provided by Outreach Programs

Higher education outreach programs began with recruitment activities and information and assistance in college admissions.  Programs then expanded to include motivational activities (e.g. campus visits) designed to support students in setting and pursuing ambitious goals that include college attendance.

In addition to information and motivational activities, all of the student-centered programs included in this review also have components that provide academic enrichment or support.  It became apparent early on that a great many students were being lost in the education pipeline either because they were not taking the courses required for university admissions or because they were not doing well enough academically in those courses.  Outreach programs began to add services addressing this barrier academic advisement, earlier information to students and parents about the a-f sequence of courses, and academic enrichment and support activities such as tutoring, specific skills instruction, and intensive Saturday and summer academies on college campuses.

Listed below are the major services of the programs we reviewed, organized by categories.  The list is not exhaustive, and the classification scheme is imperfect since some services could be placed in more than one category.

I. Direct services to students and families:

Information and assistance in college admissions
·Information on college requirements and opportunities
·Financial aid information
·Assistance in completing applications for college and financial aid
·Scholarships
·Information about college admissions and placement tests

Motivational activities
·Community members as mentors
·Motivational speakers
·Academic awards and recognition's
·Campus visits
·Visits to business and industry
·Advocacy for students

Academic enrichment and support
·tutoring individual or small group
·College students as tutors and mentors
·In-class instruction
·Study groups
·Instruction in study skills, note-taking, time management
·Instruction in writing and inquiry
·Instruction in problem-solving and other higher order skills
·Saturday academies
· College admissions and placement test preparation
·Skills assessment
·Academic competitions and fairs

Counseling and advisement
·Academic advisement
·College advisement
·Career information and counseling
·Career internships

Parent and family involvement
·Parent and family nights
·Weekend family programs
·Parent contracts
·Family counseling

Transition programs
·Transition programs Junior high or middle school to high school
·Summer bridge programs high school to college
·Intensive summer residential programs on college campuses
·High school students taking some college classes
·Self-contained high schools on college campuses
·College classes taught on high school campuses

II.  School-Centered Services:
·Staff development and technical assistance related to California Curriculum Frameworks
·Intensive institutes for individual faculty or school teams
·Staff development and support to school teams of teachers, counselors and administrators
·Curriculum development

·Grants for faculty-to-faculty collaboration in improving curriculum and instruction
Demonstration schools

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