Early Academic Outreach Program

^[1]Program Logo.

The Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) was established in 1976 by the University of California (UC) in response to the State Legislature's recommendation to expand post-secondary opportunities to all of California’s students including those who are first-generation, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and English-language learners.^[2] As UC's largest academic preparation program, EAOP assists middle and high school students with academic preparation, admissions requirements, and financial aid requirements for higher education.^[3] The program designs and provides services to foster students’ academic development, and delivers those services in partnership with other academic preparation programs, schools, other higher education institutions and community/industry partners.^[4]

The program’s goal of increased access for educationally disadvantaged students to the University of California is grounded in the philosophy that preparing for success in college is not simply one of many options for young people; it is their right. Therefore, EAOP takes seriously the task of ensuring that EAOP students acquire the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed at the University of California and at other institutions of higher education.^[5]

Mission

EAOP contributes to the University of California's Student Academic Preparation and Educational Partnerships (SAPEP) mission to raise student achievement and close achievement gaps. The vision of UC's SAPEP programs is to strengthen California's educational system in ways that will promote a vibrant economy by building a highly skilled and creative workforce.^[5]

SAPEP Mission

The goal of Student Academic Preparation and Educational Partnerships (SAPEP) is to work in partnership with K-12, the business sector, community organization and other institutions of higher education to raise student achievement levels generally and to close achievement gaps between groups of students throughout the K-20 pipeline so that a higher proportion of California's young people, including those who are first-generation, socioeconomically disadvantaged and English-language learners, are prepared for post-secondary education, pursue graduate and professional school opportunities and/or achieve success in the workplace.

Method

EAOP employs four key program services—academic enrichment, entrance exam preparation, academic advising, and college knowledge—to successfully help students in schools with low college-going rates attain college eligibility and attend college.

Academic Advising: EAOP specializes in individual and group academic advising that helps students complete California’s ‘a–g’ college-preparatory courses required for UC/CSU admission.
Academic Enrichment: EAOP students improve basic skills, master advanced high school curriculum and have the opportunity to engage in the intellectual life of the University through study and research.
Entrance Exam Preparation: SAT and ACT preparation workshops and in-depth classes familiarize students with test formats, study strategies and test-taking tips, and provide extensive practice with verbal and mathematics questions.
College Knowledge: Students and parents learn about financial aid and scholarships, how to fill out college applications and write effective personal statements. They tour campuses, attend workshops, go on field trips and learn about California’s post-secondary education options.

School Partnership Models

EAOP provides services to middle and high schools through two service models: cohort and whole school.

The EAOP cohort model (grades 7-12) emphasizes continued, progressive and increasingly advanced academic preparation that enables individual students to succeed in challenging courses and achieve their academic goals. All cohort students receive individualized academic advising services, in addition to any other EAOP services.
In the whole-school model (grades 7-12), EAOP delivers services to the entire school through workshops, assemblies, sometimes in partnership with other academic preparation programs. The work is focused on providing information on college knowledge, exam preparation, college entrance requirements, and financial aid.

Scope

EAOP is the largest UC academic preparation program. The program has offices located on every UC campus and the campuses serve schools within their geographic regions. In the 2006-07 academic year, EAOP served over 42,492 students in the cohort program alone. That year, EAOP served 259 high schools and 131 middle schools in both cohort and whole-school partner models. EAOP further reached over 9,000 families in workshops, college visits and family events.^[6]

Student Population

The purpose of EAOP is to increase the number of students who have the opportunity to achieve a post-secondary education. EAOP reaches those students who might otherwise not have gone to college and puts them on track to a post-secondary education.

Populations with lower college-going rates	EAOP population
Low API schools	79% of the schools EAOP serves are in the five lowest API deciles.^[7]
Low-income students	According to census tract data, 71% of EAOP schools are in communities with median family incomes of less than $50,000, compared to about 47% of high schools statewide. In Sacramento County, for example, the vast majority of EAOP students live in areas where the household income is $52,000 or less.^[8]
Underrepresented at UC	Most students in EAOP are from groups underrepresented at the University of California, 69%, a rate that is very close to the percentage of underrepresented students in the schools served by the programs.^[7]
EAOP alumni at UC	At the University of California, three quarters of freshmen attended the state's highest-performing high schools, those with an API of 6-10. Only one quarter of freshmen at UC attended schools with an API of 1-5. By comparison, three quarters of EAOP alumni (freshmen) at the University of California attended schools with an API of 1-5.^[9]

Outcomes

Research shows that EAOP students are more prepared for college than students who do not participate in the program. Independent academic studies and evaluations conducted for California's state legislature show that EAOP students surpass students statewide in terms of coursework and exam completion, UC eligibility, college enrollment and college persistence. For example:

College eligibility/attendance indicator	EAOP outcome
California’s public university course requirements	EAOP students complete the 'A-G' course requirements at twice the rate of students statewide.^[10]
Entrance exams	In schools with an API of 1 and 2, EAOP students took the SAT/ACT at twice the rate of non-EAOP students (61% compared to 29%).^[7]
College eligibility	The college eligibility rate for EAOP students is more than two and a half times that of students in California statewide, 34% for EAOP students compared to 14.4% statewide.^[11]
College attendance (public colleges in California)	More than 2/3 of EAOP alumni attend a California public college, significantly higher than the statewide rate of less than half.^[12]
College enrollment (all colleges)	Seventy-two percent of EAOP Students enroll in college the first year after high school.^[13]

References

^ "logo".
^ University of California EAOP, 2003 in Review. University of California, 2009-10 Budget for Current Operations Budget Detail, as Presented to the Regents for Approval.
^ University of California, 2009-10 Budget for Current Operations Budget Detail, as Presented to the Regents for Approval. University of California Office of the President, A Report to the Governor and Legislature on Student Academic Preparation and Educational Partnerships for the 2006-07 Academic Year (April 2008).
^ "Early Academic Outreach Program". University of California.
^ ^a ^b A Report to the Governor and Legislature on Student Academic Preparation and Educational Partnerships for the 2004-05 Academic Year. Prepared by University of California Office of the President, April 2006.
^ A Report to the Governor and Legislature on Student Academic Preparation and Educational Partnerships for the 2006-07 Academic Year. Prepared by University of California Office of the President, April 2008.
^ ^a ^b ^c University of California, "A Report to the Governor and Legislature on Student Academic Preparation and Educational Partnerships for the 2004-05 Academic Year" (2006).
^ Sacramento County Distribution of Mean Household Income: United States Census, 2000.
^ Juan Sanchez (2007). Analyzing Undergraduate Admissions Criteria Using Hierarchical Linear Models, Item Response Theory and Differential Item Functioning Analyses: A Study of the University of California's EAOP Students' Academic Growth and Graduation from UC. ProQuest. ISBN 978-0-549-53212-5. Table 6, page 37
^ Denise Quigley (February 2002). "The Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) and Its Impact on High School Students' Completion of the University of California's Preparatory Coursework". University of California, National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing, Los Angeles, CA.
^ University of California, "A Report to the Governor and Legislature on Student Academic Prep ration and Educational Partnerships for the 2004-05 Academic Year" (2006) and California Postsecondary Education Committee, "2005 College-Going Rates to Public Colleges and Universities, On-Line Data." Rates are estimates. CPEC calculations are based on public high school students in California. Similarly, all EAOP students attend public high schools in California.
^ California Postsecondary Education Committee, "2005 College-Going Rates to Public Colleges and Universities, On-Line Data." Rates are estimates. CPEC calculations are based on public high school students in California. Similarly, all EAOP students attend public high schools in California. University of California, "College-Going Outcomes of EAOP Participants, 2004-05" (2006).
^ University of California, "College-Going Outcomes of EAOP Participants, 2004-05" (2006).