Strategies

Education Trends and Upward Bound

Upward Bound: • Funded through the Higher Education Act (1965) • Trinity Upward Bound 1/6 programs in San Antonio • Serving low-income, first-generation students • Provides academic enrichment, college advising, volunteer

opportunities, and college trips • >70 students participating • Majority of student participants are of Mexican decent

Study Question✤ How do perceptions of higher education influence the parental

support strategies of Mexican Immigrant/American parents of Upward Bound students?

“Darles lo que yo no tuve” Understanding perceptions of higher education and support strategies of Mexican American/Mexican Immigrant parents

Norma Gonzalez Program in Human Biology | Stanford University | Trinity University Upward Bound

Spring 2015• Developed

interview protocol

July 2015• Distributed flyers to Upward Bound students • Presented study to parents • Conducted 9 Spanish interviews (14-40min)

August 2015• Conducted 10

English interviews • 3 Spanish interviews • 2 English/Spanish

focus groups

September 2015• Distributed participant

compensation • Transcribed Interviews &

Focus Groups

Winter 2015• Multipass coding and Analytic memos • Analytic displays • Developed PSSP dissemination plan

June-July 2015• Implementation of

Juntos Superamos Parent Program

12

2

6

3

Monolingual English US BornBilingual US BornBilingual Mex. BornMonolingual Spanish Mex. Born

Participant Profiles

Undergraduate Advising & Research| Donald Barr, MD, PhD | Amado Padilla, PhD | Haas Center for Public Service | Public Service Scholars

March & April 2015• Drafted and Revised

Thesis • Submitted Completed

Thesis

May 2015• Received Public Scholarship

Summer Fellowship to fund dissemination plan

Strong meritocratic views of academic/

college success

1) More transparency between parents and schools 2) Changing the perception of a parent’s influence

Undervaluing individual impact

Personal narratives as encouragement

Decrease transportation

barriers

Defer to counselors for academic and

career advice

Education/Upward Bound is “Key?”

1) Building networks among parents 2) Acknowledge community strengths

The Juntos Superamos Parent Program: Intended to Inform, Empower, and Support Upward Bound Parents

Four Series Workshops: Una Cena Unida (A United Dinner) | Educational Disparities Informational & College Field Trip | Leadership Building | Parent initiated project

Evolution: Pre- & Post- Survey on program effectiveness and information acquisition. Report to Upward Bound staff and Haas Center

• Brief interviews without follow-up may have led to information gaps • Interview and focus group scheduling occurred within a month, perhaps limiting who may have and how many people participated

• 85% of participants were women; findings may not be generalizable to include men

• Did not include parents who removed their children from UB

Limitations• Compare findings across other Upward Bound communities in San

Antonio • Collect data over entire summer with multiple interviews and Focus

Groups • Gather data from families who left Upward Bound • Increase the sample of men participating

Research Recommendations

Research and Methods Timeline

Results and Future Projects

References & Acknowledgments

Perceptions

Key

Consolidated analysis

Intervention