Upward Bound Math-Science: Program Description and Interim Impact Estimates

摘要

Since 1991, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., (MPR) has been conducting the National Evaluation of Upward Bound for ED. The centerpiece of this evaluation has been a random assignment evaluation of regular Upward Bound. In 1997, ED added a new component to the evaluation that is focused on Upward Bound Math-Science (UBMS). In 1998, MPR selected a random sample of the students x who participated in UBMS between 1993 and 1995 at projects that were still operating at that time. This report constitutes the first of two evaluation reports on UBMS, and it is based on participant surveys and student transcripts collected for this sample between 1998 and 1999 and again between 2001 and 2002. The evaluation of UBMS has two components: a descriptive analysis and an impact analysis. The descriptive analysis relies primarily on a survey of project directors to describe the resources available to UBMS projects; the types of institutions that host them; the credentials and demographic characteristics of project staff; recruitment, eligibility, and enrollment of students; student characteristics; and program offerings. The impact analysis is designed to measure the effects of UBMS on (1) performance in high school, especially in math and science courses; (2) postsecondary attendance, persistence and completion; and (3) the likelihood of completing a postsecondary degree in mathematics or a scientific field.