Upward Bound, Trailblazers!
The UNT Dallas Upward Bound program provides fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance. We also provide opportunities for participants to succeed in their pre-collegiate performance towards their pursuit of higher education. We serve high school students from low-income families or families where neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree. Our goal is to increase the rate in which participants complete their secondary education, enroll in college and graduate.
Our program here at UNT Dallas aims to facilitate academic instruction in mathematics, laboratory sciences, composition, literature, and foreign languages. Furthermore, our participants can receive counseling, mentoring, cultural enrichment, and work-study services designed to improve their financial and economic literacy. In addition, we also have programs specifically designed for students who have limited English proficiency, have disabilities, identify with groups traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, and who might be homeless youth.
Each year, our program is funded to serve 180 students from the surrounding areas!
Mission Statement:
Develop Students’ Academic, Emotional, Ethical, Physical and Social Skills for Transformational Impact in Life, School and Leadership.
Purpose:
The Federal TRIO Program, Upward Bound, began in 1964 through the Economic Opportunity Act to address the high poverty levels within our country. Its goal is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education.
Program Design
Our program services Cedar Hill Independent School District(CHISD) , Dallas Independent School District (DISD) and Lancaster Independent School District (LISD). These districts were identified as having college enrollment rates fairly lower than the state average and notably lower than the national average.
|
National Average |
63% |
|
State Average |
55% |
|
DISD |
49% |
|
LISD |
52% |
Sources: https://commitpartnership.org/dashboard and https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cpa.asp
Our partner schools include the following:
Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy
Lincoln High School and Humanities/Communications Magnet
Upward Bound Services
- Academic Advisory Support and Enrichment
- College and Career Readiness – Guidance and Information
- Saturday Academic and Cultural Enrichment
- Summer Academic Learning Extension
- Financial Aid Workshops / Support
- Parental Workshops and Meetings
- Test Information and Preparation – PSAT, ACT and SAT
- Mentorship
- Speakers Bureau
- Book Studies
- Community Service and Engagement
Upward Bound Activities
Upward Bound provides academic instruction in:
- Mathematics
- Laboratory sciences
- Composition
- Literature and foreign languages
Other activities include:
- Counseling and mentoring
- Cultural enrichment
- Work-study programs
- Financial and economic literacy workshops
- Engilish proficiency workshops
Program Goals and Expected Outcomes
Upward Bound students are expected to demonstrate increased success with their academic performance, high school completion and college readiness. These will be measured each year by the Texas Education Agency (STAAR exams), PEIMS Data and college entrance completion rates for all Upward Bound participants.
In conjunction with the standards set by the state, we will also measure the holistic development of our students through their Academic, Social and Emotional growth at their respective campuses.
Contact Information
TRIO Programs
Phone: 972.338.1892
Email: UpwardBound@untdallas.edu
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Staff
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Chri'Sha Rhodes Director Upward Bound II (Sunset HS, Kathryn Gilliam and Lincoln HS) Phone: 972.338.1955 |
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Lakendra Simon Director Upward Bound I & III (Cedar Hill HS, Roosevelt HS, Pinkston HS, South Oak Cliff HS, Seagoville HS, Lancaster HS) Phone: 972.338.1951 |
Forms
Candidates considering our Upward Bound Program must be committed to their personal preparation for success within High School and Post-Secondary Education. We look forward to supporting you through our TRIO Upward Bound Programs. Should you have any questions, please contact the Upward Bound Office at upwardbound@untdallas.edu. A necessary step is completing the online interest form.
Afterwards, if invited, you will receive an application to be completed electronically. Be sure to review the Application Checklist and include all requested supplementary documents. Incomplete applications will not be evaluated. Please allow 1-3 weeks for processing. Once all application documents have been received, an Upward Bound staff member will contact you with further information.
Upward Bound Program
7300 University Hills Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75241