UC and CSU outreach addresses this “opportunity gap” by teaching, coaching, and counseling students and teachers in k-12 schools and community colleges. Students and scholars in California’s public institutions of higher learning come to know the children, parents, and schools in their communities; arrive at a deeper understanding of best educational practices that they then use to teach and advise educators, community members, and policymakers; and conduct new research that informs scholars and practitioners seeking to improve the quality of California’s economy and society.

Who does UC Outreach serve?

• 80,000 students per year (since 1998) have received academic enrichment through UC Saturday academies, after school programs, university research opportunities; SAT and ACT test preparation; financial aid counseling; parent counseling programs; one-on-one mentoring; and more.
• 170,000 students in 256 UC partner schools (including 72 high schools) have benefited from school-based programs.
• 100,000 teachers participated in UC professional development programs, and more than 6,000 counselors received UC training in college access or in developing a college going culture at their schools in 2001, when outreach was fully funded.

How is UC and CSU Outreach Different from K-12 Schools’ Own Efforts?

Outreach is direct contact with the UC and CSU, not just information about UC and CSU. Students in Outreach gain their first real exposure to universities when they develop direct relationships with university students, staff, and faculty. These relationships bring other extraordinary benefits, including a belief that the dream of college can be real. Outreach does not recruit students who are college-ready; rather, it adds to the schools’ pool of college-ready students.

How Does Outreach Affect the Whole School Culture?

UC and CSU Outreach programs work side by side with superintendents, principals, teachers, parents, and business and community leaders, as well as with students. These programs help educators create the culture and conditions that students in educationally disadvantaged schools need in order to prepare for college. In advantaged schools, these conditions are taken for granted. A relatively small investment in Outreach leverages the existing resources and efforts of K-12 teachers and administrators who may already be trying to create a college-going culture, but lack the daily reminders, hands-on assistance, and information Outreach supplies.

How do All Students Benefit from a College-Going Culture?

A College-Going Culture is a collection of beliefs, knowledge, and resources that helps all students value working hard to achieve their goals, accept demanding challenges, and make intelligent life-determining choices. Such a culture embodies a serious and powerful success orientation that well serves everyone at the school—students and adults alike. For this reason, “college-going culture” is the “best” educational culture for all students, whether or not their eventual choice is to attend college upon graduating from high school.

What has Outreach Accomplished?

UC outreach participants prepare for college at significantly higher rates than peers in their schools. 40% of outreach participants complete the a-g college preparatory coursework, compared to 10% of peers in their schools. 67% of participants took the SAT I versus 40% of non-participants.

• Outreach participants enroll in California public colleges at higher rates than non-participants. 51% of participants enroll at UC, CSU or CCC, compared to 26% for their peers.
• In 2002, 12,304 UC outreach participants enrolled in college immediately after high school graduation. 5,691 participants were admitted to UC, 3,500 participants enrolled at UC, 8,803 participants enrolled at other colleges, including the California Community Colleges, California State University and other institutions.
• UC outreach participants are well prepared for the rigors of university studies. Once enrolled at UC, outreach participants perform as well, if not better than non-outreach participants. After 3 years, 80.3% of outreach participants are still enrolled at UC. This figure is the same as non-participants (80.3%).
• UC Outreach helps prepare educationally disadvantaged college students for enrollment in graduate and professional programs. Many of these students choose a career in education. Outreach supports a small but significant number of faculty and graduate students whose research is helping to build long-term solutions to systemic educational inequality.

What does Outreach Cost?

Contrary to some recent published reports, the cost of Outreach is quite small. UC’s programs actually cost only $173 per participant.