One Boston public school, Jeremiah E. Burke High School, participates in TRIO's Upward Bound. The Burke, as it is known, has about 800 students, mostly minority and low-income, and about 50 percent English as a second language. In 1995, the school became the first in Massachusetts history to lose its accreditation; it failed to meet eight of 10 minimum standards set by the region's accreditation agency. In face of this realization, the school was overhauled. The Burke is now on a block schedule and divided into five small learning communities, each with an assigned team leader, discipline coordinator, guidance counselor, and parent coordinator. A transitional program provides ninth graders with a literacy coach and specific reading instruction. It hosts a comprehensive bilingual program that is aligned with citywide standards. A wide variety of career development services are available to students, include a college and career center, resume building assistance, and multiple high-tech resources designed to provide individualized information on an student's options.

The Burke has done a complete turnaround, improving so much it has gained not only re-accreditation, but the 2002 College Board Inspiration Award for a high school with outstanding achievement in broadening economically disadvantaged students' access to college. Its efforts have paid off - this past year 100 percent of the school's students are admitted to a two or four year school and 69 percent of it seniors actually enrolled in post-secondary education.

The federal TRIO programs are a set of educational opportunity outreach programs to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The earliest TRIO programs date back to the 1964 creation of Upward Bound and the 1965 Higher Education Act's creation of the Talent Search program. TRIO has grown to include six outreach and support programs targeted to students who are low-income, first-generation college, or disabled. The programs help these students move through the academic pipeline from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs. TRIO also includes a training program for directors and staff of TRIO projects and a dissemination partnership program to encourage the replication or adaptation of successful TRIO practices at other institutions and agencies.

TRIO Web site:http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/HEP/trio/

Contact:

Jeremiah E. Burke High School
60 Washington Street
Dorchester, MA 02124
Phone: (617) 635-9837
Web site: http://www.boston.k12.ma.us/burke/