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PROGRAM SERVES MORE THAN 850,000 STUDENTS FROM EVERY
STATE IN THE NATION
~ Funding Needs to
Meet Requirements of Higher Education Opportunity Act
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March 2010
Washington, D.C., March 2010
- TRIO is a set of federally-funded college opportunity
programs that motivate and support students from disadvantaged
backgrounds in their pursuit of a college degree. More
than 850,000 low-income, first-generation students and
students with disabilities - from sixth grade through
college graduation - are served by more than 2,800 programs
nationally.
President Obama has challenged
the U.S. to surpass all other nations in its proportion
of college graduates by the year 2020. As the U.S. rankings
in this regard have slipped in recent years, thousands
of low-income, first-generation, and disabled students
remain as untapped resources that are necessary to reach
this goal. Now, the President's 2011 budget request
and the unfunded mandate for the Talent Search program
included in the Higher Education Opportunity Act of
2008 (HEOA), means the TRIO programs need a substantial
investment by Congress in 2011. This funding would:
Allow 15% of Talent Search
students to receive services that promote their success.
As a result of changes mandated by HEOA, Talent Search
programs will now be judged by students successfully
completing rigorous secondary school curricula, increasing
the per-student cost $393 per student currently to at
least $1,200 per student.
Expand the Student Support
Services program to improve retention, transfer, and
graduation rates for Pell Grant recipients. TRIO's Student
Support Services program is one of the largest and most
expansive programs promoting college persistence for
low-income students, providing academic tutoring, personal
counseling, and other necessary supports.
Sustain Upward Bound services
for 12,000 students in 187 programs across the country.
Following the loss of several historic Upward Bound
projects in the 2007 grant competition, Congress allocated
$57 million in funding to restore these programs.
Expand the Educational
Opportunity Center program by 30%. As TRIO's Educational
Opportunity Centers help un- and underemployed adults
(re-)enter secondary and postsecondary education programs,
their work will be even more critical. A funding increase
will allow services to more than 60,000 potential adult
learners.
Restore services lost to
as a result of stagnant funding and provide opportunity
for nearly 43,000 students. TRIO funding has been
stagnant due to reductions by the previous Administration.
Meanwhile, the costs of services and staffing have continued
to increase. As a result, TRIO programs have lost nearly
40,000 students since Fiscal Year 2006.
TRIO provides the critical
academic, financial, social, and cultural supports for
students who might not otherwise pursue or complete
higher education. The resources needed to address the
myriad of needs facing these students are as vast as
the participants ranging from veterans to homeless youth
to working adults.
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