Upward Bound

The Upward Bound program is one of five federally funded under TRIO, which provide services that assist first-generation, low-income students in developing the skills to begin and complete postsecondary education. Two-thirds of a program's participants must be both first generation and low income. Upward Bound, the first TRIO program, was created by the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act.

WCER's Upward Bound program offers students in grades 9 through 12 after-school academic support, personal counseling, academic and career advising, and study and social skills development. Activities include ACT/SAT testing and a family financial aid workshop for the seniors, PSAT testing and a National College Fair trip for the juniors, and a career clinic for the sophomores. Freshmen have social development workshops, study skills development, and academic advising. Students remain with the program through their high school graduation. This precollege program is unique in that participants commit to much more time than the traditional one, two, or three weeks of summer. In fact the most challenging thing about being an Upward Bound participant, students are told when recruited, is the time commitment.

During the 1996-97 school year, the program served 23 ninth graders, 12 tenth graders, 16 eleventh graders and 10 twelfth graders. Over the program's eight years at UW-Madison, 55 students have graduated, 50 of whom have gone on to attend postsecondary schools, including UW-Madison, Washington University-St. Louis, Alverno College-Milwaukee, Macalaster (Minnesota), Antioch (Ohio), the University of Miami; UW-LaCrosse, UW-Platteville, and Madison Area Technical College.

Upward Bound is at the end of its third grant.

 

Pictures of 10 Year Celebration