Topic area This study focused on current networking practices among TRIO pre-college programs at Arizona State University (ASU) and partnership districts. The study paid particular attention to TRIO pre-college programs at the institution. At the time of this study, these programs were relatively new to the institution and had been awarded funds by the Department of Education within the last two academic years.
Problem Statement The Federal TRIO Programs are Federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO includes eight programs targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students, …show more content…
This success is measured annually by the Department of Education using an Annual Performance Report (APR). It is important to note that every program’s goals are unique to their grant and will vary depending on what the requesting institution said was attainable. In order to achieve all the goals outlined in the grant, new TRIO programs need to recruit all of their program participants (200-500 students, depending on grant) and provide at least one of their services prior to the end of each academic year. Meeting this deadline alone could be challenging for first-year programs if staff members are not hired in a timely manner. It is the job of the University who requested the grant, in this case ASU, to hire for each position outlined in the grant in order to get the program running. Once a team is hired it is important to build and maintain relationships with each one of the partnership high schools as well as with leadership at the district level. These relationships will help expedite recruitment of quality cohorts for TRIO programs, which can help program longevity by insuring grant goals are being met each academic