Mission
Commitment to supporting educational opportunity as a pathway to personal success.
Summary Narrative
Other
TRIO Talent Search, Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) and Upward Bound (UB) are grant programs funded by the U.S. Department of Education. These programs assist low-income, potential first-generation college students to complete secondary school, achieve academic success leading to postsecondary attainment and to enroll in postsecondary education programs.
The six continuing programs for the 2022-23 fiscal year were
Talent Search 1, Talent Search 2 North Pulaski, Talent Search 3 East, Educational Opportunity Center 1, Educational Opportunity Center 2 Delta and Educational Opportunity Center 3
Northcentral/Northeast. The newly-funded TRIO Upward Bound began serving students in Spring, 2023. The funding amount for these seven TRIO outreach programs totaled $2,251,670 annually and $11,258,350 for the five-year award period.
This past year TRIO Talent Search, Educational Opportunity Center and Upward Bound assisted five thousand one hundred five (5,105) participants in these categories:
- 2,224 secondary students grades 6 through 11
- 959 high school seniors
- 2,014 persons aged 19 and over.
TRIO Talent Search and Upward Bound worked with secondary schools and partners in Pulaski, Saline, Lonoke, Jefferson/Delta Counties, Conway, Faulkner, Perry and White counties and provided participants with enhanced opportunities such as academic tutoring services, college placement assessments, and college & career planning sessions to assist them in graduating from high school/GED prepared for post-secondary education.
The TRIO Talent Search target schools are: LR Cloverdale, LR Mabelvale, eStem East Village Junior High, LR Central, LR Hall, LR Southwest, Brinkley, PB Dollarway, Marvell-Elaine, Barton, North Little Rock, and Jacksonville/No. Pulaski.
The Upward Bound target schools are: Jacksonville North Pulaski, Mills University Studies, and Sylvan Hills high schools.
The EOC programs worked with community agencies and provided numerous services that developed educational aspirations and career paths for high school seniors and adults. In sessions with participants, Education Specialists discussed types of postsecondary institutions, various majors and career options and provided individual Accuplacer exams, admission and FAFSA financial aid application.
Major populations and partners served in central, north central and southeast Arkansas reside in these counties: Pulaski, Saline, Lonoke, Jefferson/Delta, Conway, Faulkner, Perry, and White.
Primary partners for central Arkansas include the Adult Education Centers at Pulaski Technical College, Little Rock School District, Arkansas Baptist College, Pulaski County Special School District; BCD/Hoover Treatment Center, City of Faith, Freshly Renewed Transition Center, Immerse Arkansas, Jericho Way Resource Center, Little Rock Job Corps, Veterans Day Treatment Center, Goodwill Industries Little Rock, Mamas Unidas, Phoenix House Recovery Center, Quality Living Center, Serenity Park, Our House Shelter, Arkansas Workforce Services, Central Arkansas Community Corrections, and National Guard Youth Challenge.
Major partners served in the Pine Bluff/Delta and Northcentral Arkansas areas include:
Pine Bluff Department of Human Services, Stuttgart Department of Human Services, Hippy in Pine Bluff, Pine Bluff Library, Pine Bluff Walmart, CASA Women’s Shelter, Delta Regional Unit, Cummins Unit, Tucker Unit, Monticello Workforce, Pine Bluff Food Smart, Forrest City Community Event; Conway Department of Human Services, Faulkner County Public Library, 100 Families White County / Restore Hope, Arkansas Workforce, CTM Church Morrilton, Arkansas Beauty and Barber School, Park University, UACCM, and the Greenbrier Arts Council.
High school seniors received EOC services at these high schools:
- Jacksonville Lighthouse Charter School
- Lisa Academy West
- LR Parkview High
- Pine Bluff High
- Clarendon High
- Drew Central High
- Morrilton High
- Perryville High
- Riverview High
- Forrest City High
- Lee High
- Bald Knob High
At A Glance
Major services by number of participants
- 131 Academic classes
- 1,537 Admissions assistance
- 3,518 FAFSA/financial aid/fin. literacy/scholarships
- 647 Study skills
- 927 College planning
- 1,215 Career assistance
- 1,768 Campus tours
- 496 Tutoring
- 412 ACCUPLACER/computer lab
Program Year to date
- 5,105 Number of participants
- 3,193 Number of low-income, first-generation participants
- 34,486 Hours of service provided to participants
- 69 Number of military-connected participants
- 1,218 Participants visited UA Little Rock
Assessment 1
Alignment with UA Little Rock Goal
Community Engagement | Enhance community engagement through partnerships and collaborations involving faculty, staff, and students that address local, state, and regional needs.
Alignment with Student Affairs Goal
Develop a responsive student experience and engagement program
Goal
Identify the level of knowledge that participants gain regarding college, financial aid, and career resources.
Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)
Learning outcome
CAS Domain: Knowledge acquisition/construction/integration and application
Activity or experience being assessed
The College Crash Course, a series of workshops to provide information on postsecondary degree programs, financial aid resources, career development, financial literacy, and mental health awareness.
Assessment artifact
A pre- and post-survey was administered to assess knowledge acquisition from the College Crash Course workshops.
Time period assessment was done
June 30, 2023
Results
Results indicated that 21% increased their knowledge of programs offered at colleges and technical schools; 25% increased their knowledge of financial aid resources; 50% increased their knowledge of Accuplacer scores needed for the Academic Challenge Lottery scholarship; 70% increased their knowledge of budget planning; 20% increased their knowledge of the relationship between stress and mental health. Participants indicated that the financial aid resources were the most informative sessions.
Continuous improvement process
- Text messaging was utilized to promote the next College Crash Course and EOC workshops
- Participants were provided access to an online career assessment
WHEN: 2/1/2023-5/31/2024
Continuous improvement process
- Enlist the Apptegy platform to promote the College Crash Course and online career assessment
- Develop additional workshops and materials
WHEN: 9/1/2023-8/31/2024
Assessment 2
Alignment with UA Little Rock Goal
Community Engagement | Enhance community engagement through partnerships and collaborations involving faculty, staff, and students that address local, state, and regional needs.
Alignment with Student Affairs Goal
Develop a responsive student experience and engagement program
Goal
Determine the level of knowledge that participants acquire in regard to college and career terminology.
Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)
Learning outcome
CAS Domain: Knowledge acquisition/construction/integration and appliation
Activity or experience being assessed
Reentry Jeopardy workshop
Assessment artifact
Pre and post survey
Time period assessment was done
9/1/2022 -5/31/2023
Results
Forty-seven (47) participants were administered the re-entry jeopardy game pre and post survey questions. The following data was collected from each question on the pre and post survey.
Question 1 data: Are you familiar with job application terms? (Cover letter, Resume, Degrees, or Work Experience)
Pre Survey Results: 87.2% Agree; Post Survey Agree: 91.3%. This is a 4.1% increase.
Question 2 data: Are you familiar with the term expunged?
Pre Survey Results: 80.9% Agree; Post Survey Results: 91.3% Agree. This is a 10.4% increase.
Question 3 data: Are you familiar with the term criminal record?
Pre Survey Results: 93.6% Agree; Post Survey Results 87% Agree. That is a 6.6% decrease.
Question 4 data: Can you solve basic math problems? Pre Survey Results: 95.7% Agree; Post Survey Results: 80.4% Agree. This is a 15.3% decrease.
Question 5 data: Are you familiar with college terminology such as FAFSA, Scholarships, Federal Aid, or Loans?
Pre Survey Results: 66% Agree; Post Survey Results: 89.1% Agree. This is a 23.10% increase.
Question 6 data: Are you familiar with the terms such as CALS, SNAP Program, Medicaid, or Medicare? Pre Survey Results: 85.1 Agree; Post Survey Results: 89.1% Agree. This is a 4% increase.
Question 7 data: Are you familiar with the terms such as credit score, investing money, paying bills, or wants/needs?
Pre Survey Results: 85.1%Agree; Post Survey Results: 87% Agree. This is a 1.9% increase.
Continuous improvement process
EOC staff will collaborate with correctional staff for future workshops regarding workshops to increase skills in basic math and criminal record terminology (Questions 3 & 4).
WHEN: 9/1/2023-6/30/2024
Assessment 3
Alignment with UA Little Rock Goal
Community Engagement | Enhance community engagement through partnerships and collaborations involving faculty, staff, and students that address local, state, and regional needs.
Alignment with Student Affairs Goal
Develop a responsive student experience and engagement program
Goal
Determine level of knowledge acquisition participants gain in regard to career and employment skills.
Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)
Learning outcome
CAS Domain: Knowledge acquisition/construction/integration and application
Activity or experience being assessed
Workshops for successful career goals, individual plans, and employability skills for secondary students.
Assessment artifact
Pre and post surveys completed by participants
Time period assessment was done
July 2022-April 2023
Results
38 participants completed the pre and post survey. The results indicated that 42% of the participants completed individual career and employment plans at the end of the workshop.
Continuous improvement process
Continue collaboration with school officials for additional career and employability workshops during the school year.
WHEN: 9/1/2023-5/31/2024
