EAOP
The Early Academic Outreach Program was established in 1976 by the University of California 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. 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. 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.
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.
Mission
EAOP contributes to the University of California's Student Academic Preparation and Educational Partnerships 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.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
- The EAOP cohort model 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, 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
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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 at the University of California attended schools with an API of 1-5. |
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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| College attendance | More than 2/3 of EAOP alumni attend a California public college, significantly higher than the statewide rate of less than half. |
| College enrollment | Seventy-two percent of EAOP Students enroll in college the first year after high school. |