Since 2007, Montgomery County Community College has been helping to prepare high school students for college through the Trio Upward Bound Program. The U.S. Department of Education recently awarded a $1.6 million grant to MCCC to continue the program for another five years. Photo by Linda Johnson
For 15 years, Montgomery County Community College has been guiding area high school students on the pathway to higher education through the TRIO Upward Bound Program. Thanks to a recent $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, MCCC will continue this valuable program for another five years.
The Upward Bound Program is part of the U.S. Department of Education’s TRIO Programs that serve low-income, first-generation college students and individuals with disabilities by helping them progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs.
At MCCC, students in the TRIO Upward Bound Program learn and develop skills, study habits, discipline and attitude to succeed in high school and college. Students receive academic advising; courses in career readiness, English, science and math; virtual college and museum tours; tutoring; and the opportunity to take free college courses. The free program is available to students from the Norristown Area and Pottstown school districts who qualify.
The five-year grant will enable up to 63 students per year to participate in the program. Since 2007, 880 students have participated in the TRIO Upward Bound Program at MCCC.
MCCC’s TRIO Upward Bound Program’s goals for participants include increasing academic performance, improving performance on standardized tests, increasing secondary school retention and graduation rates and increasing postsecondary attendance and completion rates.
MCCC’s staff will start working with participants in the ninth grade to help promote a college-focused mindset. According to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, approximately only 39 percent of graduates from the Pottstown and Norristown school districts are college-bound, a number that has been decreasing during recent years. Through TRIO Upward Bound, students and their families will receive consistent advising and mentoring to help them understand the application process and college acceptance policies and costs and find institutions where they are most likely to succeed.
Read about Imani Flower's TRIO Upward Bound experience.