A Profile of the

Talent Search

Program: 1998-99

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

OFFICE OF FEDERAL TRIO PROGRAMS

May 2002

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

OFFICE OF FEDERAL TRIO PROGRAMS

May 2002

A Profile of the 

Talent Search 

Program: 1998-99

Mathematica Policy Research Inc.

Julia Y. Chou

Margaret W. Cahalan

Justin G. Humphrey

Adrian T. Overton

Office of Federal TRIO Programs

Robert L. Belle Jr.

Frances Bergeron
This report was prepared for the U. S. Department of Education under Contract 

No. 1-36U-6742 (031). The views expressed herein are those of the contractor. No

official endorsement by the U. S. Department of Education is intended or should 

be inferred.

U. S. Department of Education

Rod Paige

Secretary

Office of Postsecondary Education

Wilbert Bryant

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher Education Programs

Office of Federal TRIO Programs

Robert L. Belle Jr.

Director

May 2002

This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part

is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation

should be: U. S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, 

A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99, Washington, D.C., 2002.

To obtain additional copies of this report:

write to: Office of Federal TRIO Programs, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K

Street, NW, Suite 7000, Washington, D.C. 20006-8510

or fax your request to: (202) 502-7857

or e-mail your request to: TRIO@ed.gov.

This report is also available on the Department’s Web site at: 

http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/HEP/trio/talent.html.

On request, this publication is available in alternate formats, such as Braille, large

print, audiotape, or computer diskette. For more information, please contact the

Department’s Alternate Format Center at (202) 260-9895 or (202) 205-8113.
CONTENTS

FOREWORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

HIGHLIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

I. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

A. Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

B. Performance report response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

C. Structure of the report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

II. DEMOGRAPHICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

A. Number of participants assisted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

B. Participant distribution by eligibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

C. Participant distribution by ethnic background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

D. Participant distribution by gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

E. Participant distribution by age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

F. Participant distribution by grade level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

G. Veterans served. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

H. Participants of limited English proficiency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

I. Target schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

III. PROJECT SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

A. Academic support services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

1. Middle school participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

2. High school participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

3. Adult participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

B. Personal and career development services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

1. Middle school participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

2. High school participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

3. Adult participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

C. Historical perspective on service provision. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

IV. PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

A. Secondary school retention, graduation, and reentry . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

B. Admissions and financial aid assistance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

C. Postsecondary admission and reentry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

D. Postsecondary placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

V. DATA ISSUES AND FUTURE PLANS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
TABLES AND FIGURES

TABLES

1 TRIO funding, number of grants, number served, average 

grant award, amount per person served, and average number 

served: 1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

2 TRIO funding levels in constant 1999 dollars (millions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

3 Number of Talent Search projects and projects reporting performance

information, by type of host institution: 1998-99. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

4 Number of Talent Search projects and participants and percentage 

reporting performance information, by federal region: 1998-99 . . . . . . . 4

5 Participant distribution by eligibility status and type of host 

institution: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

6 Participant distribution by ethnic background and type of host 

institution: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

7 Participant distribution by age and type of host institution: 1998-99 . . . . 10

8 Participant distribution by grade level and type of host institution: 

1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

9 Estimate of eligible students served by Talent Search: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . 14

10 Percentages of students eligible for the federal free lunch program 

in Talent Search target schools, all other secondary schools, and 

all secondary schools, by state: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

11 Average pupil-teacher ratios for Talent Search target schools, 

all other secondary schools, and all secondary schools, by state: 

1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

12 Percentages of projects offering services to participants, 

by grade level: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

13 Percentages of participants receiving academic support services, 

average number of sessions per project, and average number of 

sessions per participant for participants overall: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

14 Average number of sessions per project and average number of 

sessions per participant for middle school participants: 1998-99 . . . . . . . 22

15 Average number of sessions per project and average number of 

sessions per participant for high school participants: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . 23

16 Average number of sessions per project and average number of 

sessions per participant for adult participants: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

17 Percentages of participants receiving personal and career development

services for participants overall: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

18 Percentages of participants receiving each type of service, comparing

performance report data from 1990-91 and 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

19 Comparison of approved objectives and actual achievements for 

secondary school outcomes: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
20 Comparison of approved objectives and actual achievements for 

assistance in applying for postsecondary admissions and financial aid: 

1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

21 Comparison of approved objectives and actual achievements for

postsecondary outcomes: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

22 Postsecondary placement of participants by sector: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . 33

23 Section/Item response rates: 1998-99. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

FIGURES

1 Performance report response rates by region: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2 Participant distribution by type of host institution: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . 5

3 Participant distribution by status and type of host institution: 1998-99 . . 6

4 Participant distribution by eligibility status: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

5 Participant distribution by ethnic background: 1998-99. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

6 Participant distribution by gender and type of host institution: 1998-99 . . 9

7 Participant distribution by age: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

8 Participant distribution by grade level: 1998-99. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

9 Average numbers of target schools per project by type of host 

institution: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

10 Percentages of middle school participants receiving academic support

services: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

11 Percentages of high school participants receiving academic support 

services: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

12 Percentages of adult participants receiving academic support services: 

1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

13 Percentages of middle school participants receiving personal and 

career development services: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

14 Percentages of high school participants receiving personal and 

career development services: 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

15 Percentages of adult participants receiving personal and career 

development services: 1998-99. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

16 Postsecondary placement of participants for Talent Search overall: 

1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
FOREWORD

To help ensure the full success of President Bush’s education initiative, “No Child Left

Behind,” high-quality postsecondary educational opportunities must be available to all

students. In keeping with this goal, the Federal TRIO Programs provide outreach and

support programs to assist low-income, first-generation college students in progressing through the academic pipeline from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs.

On behalf of the Office of Federal TRIO Programs, I am pleased to present this

report, A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99. The Talent Search Program

identifies and assists youth (between 11 and 27 years of age) from disadvantaged backgrounds who have the potential to succeed in higher education. The program provides academic, career, and financial aid counseling, tutoring, exposure to college

campuses, and assistance in preparing for college entrance examinations and in completing college admission and financial aid applications. The goal of the program is

to increase the number of disadvantaged youth who graduate from high school and

continue on to postsecondary institutions of their choice.

This report is the first in a series of reports that present a national profile of the

Talent Search Program. Individual project reports, under separate cover, summarize

the specific information submitted by each Talent Search project and provide aggregate information on other Talent Search projects in the same federal region, institutional sector, and for the nation. The 1998-99 performance report, submitted by the

Talent Search projects, was the primary data source for both the national profile and

individual project reports.

The Office of Federal TRIO Programs is proud to share with you national information

on the Talent Search Program. It is our hope that the collection and dissemination of

this information will foster communication aimed at assessing our mission and implementing measures to see how well we are doing. We look forward to this collaborative

relationship as we work together to improve program services and postsecondary

enrollment rates for low-income, potential first-generation college students.

Robert L. Belle Jr.

Director

Office of Federal TRIO Programs

vi
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Publishing this report was a team effort and we appreciate the support of all who contributed. First, we thank the project staff members of the Talent Search projects who

reported the data upon which the report is based. Computer Business Methods Inc.

processed the data files. The Office of Federal TRIO Programs, directed by Robert

L. Belle Jr., sponsored the report, and Frances Bergeron of the Office of Federal

TRIO Programs coordinated the reporting process. Jessica Wilkens, August Parker,

and Valerie Williams of Mathematica Policy Research Inc. deserve special mention

for administrative support. Mary Fran Miklitsch designed this publication.

vii

HIGHLIGHTS

This report provides a comprehensive profile of the Talent Search Program using the

1998-99 performance report data. Performance reports were submitted by 98 percent

of the projects (355 out of 361). The 349 projects that provided complete demographic data served a total of 307,451 participants. This report is intended to serve as

a resource for the improvement of Talent Search services.

Below are highlights from the following sections: demographics of project participants and target schools, services and activities, and performance outcomes.

Demographics of Project Participants and Target Schools

• Fifty-two percent of Talent Search participants continued from a previous year

and 48 percent were new to the program.

• Seventy-four percent of participants met both the low-income and first generation college eligibility requirements.

• Thirty-five percent of participants were black or African American, 32 percent

were white, 22 percent were Hispanic or Latino, and 10 percent were of other

races or ethnic backgrounds.

• Thirty percent of all Talent Search participants were attending middle school,

65 percent were attending high school, and 5 percent had graduated from high

school or dropped out of high school or college.

• Five percent of participants had limited English proficiency.

• A typical project served about 14 target schools and 41 percent of the students

within Talent Search target schools qualified for the federal free lunch program.

Services and Activities

• College orientation activities, test-taking and study skills development, counseling, and academic advising/course selection were the services most commonly offered to participants.

• Twenty-one percent of participants received tutoring services.

• Almost two-thirds of participants (65 percent) received services related to academic advising and course selection.

• More than three-fourths of participants (77 percent) received counseling, 

over one-half (54 percent) participated in college orientation activities, and

one-third (33 percent) participated in cultural activities.

ix
Performance Outcomes

• Ninety-eight percent of middle school participants and 96 percent of high

school participants remained in school.

• Ninety-four percent of participants who began the performance period as 

12th graders graduated by the end of the period.

• Seventy-one percent of college-ready participants were admitted to, or

enrolled in, a program of postsecondary education.

• Among those participants who went on to postsecondary education, 41 percent

attended public 4-year schools, 40 percent attended public 2-year schools, 

12 percent attended private 2- and 4-year schools, and 6 percent attended

other types of schools.

x
I. INTRODUCTION

This report is the first in a series addressing Talent Search projects. The report is presented in two documents. The first piece, the national report, provides feedback from

Talent Search projects on the status of Talent Search performance reporting and gives

the overall results from all projects. A second, companion document provides individual reports, which summarize data from each project.

The purpose of the reports is to share feedback and other information from the performance reports that Talent Search projects prepare each year. It is our hope that

Talent Search projects can use the shared information to plan and improve their own

services, which will increase educational opportunities for low-income and potential

first-generation college students.

In both the national and individual project reports, we look at the data by type of host

institution—public 4-year, private 4-year, and 2-year postsecondary institutions; 

and community organizations. We also present the reporting response rates by federal region.

Although Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC) projects have

a similar performance report form, these programs have different missions, participant characteristics, and services. To gather and present performance report information more fully for each of these programs, we have prepared separate but similar

reports for both the Talent Search and EOC projects.

A. Background

Talent Search projects identify and assist individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds

who have the potential to succeed in higher education. The program provides academic, career, and financial aid counseling to its participants and encourages them to

graduate from high school and continue on to the postsecondary school of their

choice. Talent Search also serves high school dropouts by encouraging them to reenter the educational system and complete their education.

In 1998-99 (FY 1998) new grant awards increased the number of Talent Search projects from 319 to 361 projects. Talent Search projects are operated by 2- or 4-year 

colleges, public or private nonprofit agencies or organizations, or combinations of

these sponsors. In each project, at least two-thirds of the participants must be both

low-income and potential first-generation college students. Talent Search participants must also be 11 to 27 years of age1 or have completed the fifth grade. Services

1

1Projects may serve clients age 28 or older if no Educational Opportunity Center

is available to serve them and doing so will not dilute the services they provide to the

main target group.
2 A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99

provided by Talent Search projects include: academic, financial, career, or personal

counseling; career exploration and aptitude assessment; tutoring; information on

postsecondary education; exposure to college campuses; information on financial aid;

assistance in completing college admissions and financial aid applications; preparation

for college entrance exams; mentoring; and workshops for participants’ parents.

It is helpful to place Talent Search in the context of the other direct service TRIO

Programs—Upward Bound (UB), Upward Bound Math Science (UBMS),

Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC), Student Support Services (SSS), and

Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement (McNair). Table 1 gives the funding information and participant numbers for each of the direct service TRIO

Programs in 1999-2000 (FY 1999). As shown, and in contrast to the very intensive

and costly services provided by some of the other TRIO Programs, the Talent Search

Program serves the largest number of persons (323,541) of any of the TRIO

Programs at an average cost per person of $304 in 1999-2000.

Table 2 gives TRIO funding levels in constant 1999 dollars. One can see from this table

that Talent Search funding has increased about eightfold in constant dollars since 

its inception.

Table 1. TRIO funding, number of grants, number served, average grant award, amount

per person served, and average number served: 1999

Average Amount Average

Program Number Number grant per person number

1999 funding of grants served award served served

Talent Search $98,450,697 361 323,541 $272,717 $304 896

Educational Opportunity Centers $29,794,380 82 158,063 $363,346 $188 1,928

McNair $32,114,068 156 3,734 $205,859 $8,600 24

Student Support Services $178,916,836 796 178,099 $224,770 $1,005 224

Upward Bound $220,500,637 772 52,960 $285,623 $4,164 69

Upward Bound Math Science $29,276,284 124 6,200 $236,099 $4,722 50

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, 1999.

Table 2. TRIO funding levels in constant 1999 dollars (millions)

Year TS EOC UB SSS McNair UBMS

1967 $12.4 — $139.7 — — —

1970 $21.5 — $127.1 $42.9 — —

1975 $18.6 $9.3 $118.6 $71.2 — —

1980 $30.9 $15.6 $126.4 $121.3 — —

1985 $32.1 $14.2 $114.0 $108.5 — —

1990 $34.5 $15.2 $128.2 $115.9 $3.8 $4.3

1995 $85.7 $26.9 $208.3 $156.9 $20.9 $20.8

1999 $98.5 $29.8 $220.5 $178.9 $32.1 $29.3

Source: Calculated from information provided by United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO

Programs and the Consumer Price Index.
B. Performance report response

This report covers the 1998-99 reporting period. This was the first year that Talent

Search projects used the new performance report form approved by the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) in 1998. For 1998-99, aggregate performance

reports covering Sections I-V on the performance report form were submitted by 

98 percent of the projects in operation at the time (Table 3). These records covered

307,451 participants in the reference year. Fifty-six percent of the Talent Search projects submitted reports over the Web.

Figure 1 and Table 4 give the percentage of projects reporting by region. The percentage reporting ranged from 93 percent in Region I to 100 percent in several

regions (II, III, VI, VII, VIII, and X).

I. Introduction 3

Table 3. Number of Talent Search projects and projects reporting performance 

information, by type of host institution: 1998-99

Total Percentage Project Number of

projects in of total response participants Percent

Sector 1998 TS projects rate reported distribution

Public 4-year 121 34% 98% 104,372 34%

Private 4-year 48 13% 96% 36,480 12%

2-year 124 34% 97% 90,217 29%

Community organizations 68 19% 98% 76,382 25%

All projects 361 100% 98% 307,451 100%

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99.

Figure 1. Performance report response rates by region: 1998-99

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search

Performance Reports, 1998-99.

Region X - 100% Region VIII - 100%

Region VII - 100%

Region V - 95%

Region IX - 97%

Region VI - 100%

Region IV - 99%

Region II - 100%

Region III - 100%

Region I - 93%
C. Structure of the report

The rest of this report is organized according to the structure of the performance

report. Chapter II presents a demographic profile of Talent Search participants and

target schools. Chapter III discusses the provision of project services. Chapter IV

provides an analysis of performance outcomes, and Chapter V discusses data issues as

well as plans for future years.

4 A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99

Table 4. Number of Talent Search projects and participants and percentage reporting

performance information, by federal region: 1998-99

Total Number of

projects Project Number of projects Response

Federal region in 1998 distribution participants reporting rate

Region I (Boston) 14 4% 11,508 13 93%

Region II (New York) 33 9% 31,059 33 100%

Region III (Philadelphia) 35 10% 41,678 35 100%

Region IV (Atlanta) 88 24% 70,815 87 99%

Region V (Chicago) 55 15% 36,428 52 95%

Region VI (Dallas) 48 13% 44,310 48 100%

Region VII (Kansas City) 20 6% 15,626 20 100%

Region VIII (Denver) 18 5% 15,684 18 100%

Region IX (San Francisco) 38 11% 33,031 37 97%

Region X (Seattle) 12 3% 7,312 12 100%

Total for nation 361 100% 307,451 355 98%

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99.
II. DEMOGRAPHICS

This section summarizes the demographic information that was reported on the

1998-99 Talent Search performance reports. Statistics are given for Talent Search

projects as a whole, as well as projects grouped by type of host institution, defined as

4-year public colleges and universities, 4-year private colleges and universities, 2-year

colleges, and community organizations.

A. Number of participants assisted

Three hundred forty-nine2 Talent Search projects reported serving a total of 307,451

participants, or an average of 8813 participants per project. As Figure 2 shows, 34 percent of participants were served by projects based in public 4-year colleges and universities. Twelve percent were served by projects located in private 4-year colleges

and universities, 29 percent by 2-year colleges, and 25 percent by community organizations not affiliated with postsecondary schools.

5

Figure 2. Participant distribution by type of host institution: 1998-99

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search

Performance Reports, 1998-99.

Public

4-year

34%

Private 

4-year

12%

2-year 

29%

Community 

orgs. 

25%

2While 355 projects submitted performance reports, data from only 349 projects

were used. Six projects used a previous version of the report form rather than the

revised 1998-99 version.

3This number includes one unusually large project that served 14,731 participants during the 1998-99 reporting period. When this project is excluded, the average number of participants per project is 841.
Overall, there was a fairly even split between new and continuing participants. Fiftytwo percent of the 1998-99 participants continued from a previous year, and 48 percent joined Talent Search for the first time (Figure 3). According to the instructions

accompanying the performance report, a new participant is one served by the project

for the first time during this reporting period. A continuing participant is one who

was served by the project for the first time in another reporting period and who

received project services during this reporting period.

The proportions of new and continuing participants were similar for host institutions

based in colleges and universities of all types. The projects based in community

organizations had a greater proportion of new participants. Sixty-five percent of the

participants in community organizations were new, and 35 percent were continuing

from a previous year.

6 A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99

Figure 3. Participant distribution by status and type of host institution:

1998-99

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search

Performance Reports, 1998-99.

100% 

80% 

60% 

40% 

20% 

0%

Public 

4-year

Private 

4-year

2-year Community 

orgs.

All 

projects

Continuing

New

59% 

41%

56% 

44%

58% 

42%

35%

65%

52% 

48%
B. Participant distribution by eligibility

Talent Search projects overall exceeded the requirement that two-thirds of their participants be both low-income4 and potential first-generation college students.5

Seventy-four percent of the participants during the 1998-99 reporting period met

both criteria. Twenty-one percent were either low-income or potential first-generation students. Five percent had other needs (Figure 4). The distributions of participants by eligibility status were consistent across the four sectors (Table 5).

II. Demographics 7

Figure 4. Participant distribution by eligibility status: 1998-99

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search

Performance Reports, 1998-99.

Low-income and 

first-generation

college 

74%

Low-income

only 

7%

First-generation 

only 

14%

Other 

5%

4A low-income participant is one whose family’s taxable income was less than 150

percent of the poverty level amount. The U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of

the Census, sets guidelines to determine the definition of poverty level.

5A potential first generation college student is one whose parents or guardians

did not receive a baccalaureate degree.

Table 5. Participant distribution by eligibility status and type of host institution: 1998-99

Low-income and Low-income First generation

Sector first generation only only Other

Public 4-year 75% 7% 13% 5%

Private 4-year 75% 8% 13% 5%

2-year 73% 5% 17% 5%

Community organizations 73% 8% 13% 6%

All projects 74% 7% 14% 5%

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99.
C. Participant distribution by ethnic background

Thirty-five percent of all Talent Search participants were black or African American,

32 percent were white, and 22 percent were Hispanic or Latino. Asians and American

Indians/Alaskan Natives each made up 4 percent of the Talent Search participant

population. One percent of participants were natives of Hawaii or other Pacific

islands and another 1 percent were from a multi-ethnic background (Figure 5).

The ethnic composition of projects differed somewhat among the sectors. For example, a higher proportion of black or African-American participants (45 percent) were

served by projects hosted by private 4-year colleges than by projects overall (35 percent). In contrast, a higher proportion of Hispanic or Latino participants (39 percent)

were served by projects hosted by community organizations than by projects overall

(22 percent). Complete results are provided in Table 6.

8 A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99

Figure 5. Participant distribution by ethnic background: 1998-99

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search

Performance Reports, 1998-99.

American 

Indian or 

Alaska 

Native

4%

Asian

4%

Black or 

African

American

35%

Hispanic 

or Latino

22%

White 

32%

Native 

Hawaiian or

other Pacific

Islander

1%

More than

one race

reported 

1%
D. Participant distribution by gender

Consistent with the pattern for other TRIO Programs, Talent Search served more

women than men. Sixty percent of Talent Search participants in 1998-99 were female

and 40 percent were male. As Figure 6 shows, the proportions did not vary much

across the sectors.

II. Demographics 9

Table 6. Participant distribution by ethnic background and type of host institution:

1998-99

Native

American Hawaiian

Indian or Black or or other More than

Alaska African Hispanic Pacific one race

Sector Native Asian American or Latino White Islander reported

Public 4-year 4% 4% 39% 20% 32% 1% 1%

Private 4-year 1% 2% 45% 21% 30% 0% 1%

2-year 6% 3% 32% 12% 44% 2% 1%

Community organizations 4% 5% 30% 39% 19% 1% 1%

All projects 4% 4% 35% 22% 32% 1% 1%

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99.

Figure 6. Participant distribution by gender and type of host institution:

1998-99

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search

Performance Reports, 1998-99.

Public 4-year

Private 4-year 

2-year 

Community orgs. 

All projects

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Female Male

60% 40%

60% 40%

60% 40%

62% 38%

59% 41%
E. Participant distribution by age

In 1998-99, most Talent Search participants, 70 percent, were 14-18 years of age.

While recent years have seen increased program development for middle school students, more than three-fourths of Talent Search participants remain in the age groups

over 14 (Figure 7). Percentages broken down by sector reveal a similar pattern: the

largest group of participants comprised those who were 14-18 years of age (Table 7).

10 A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99

Figure 7. Participant distribution by age: 1998-99

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search

Performance Reports, 1998-99.

28 and above 

1%

11-13

24%

14-18 

70%

19-27 

5%

Table 7. Participant distribution by age and type of host institution: 1998-99

Sector 11-13 14-18 19-27 28 and above

Public 4-year 24% 70% 5% 1%

Private 4-year 29% 69% 2% 0%

2-year 29% 67% 3% 1%

Community organizations 18% 73% 7% 1%

All projects 24% 70% 5% 1%

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99.
F. Participant distribution by grade level

Sixty-five percent of Talent Search participants were in grades 9-12 at the beginning

of the 1998-99 reporting period and 30 percent of participants were in grades 6-8

(Figure 8). Two percent had not completed high school, 2 percent had graduated or

received the GED, and 1 percent had dropped out of postsecondary school. The

largest single grade was the 12th grade, with 22 percent of all participants.

The distribution across grades was similar for projects hosted by 4-year and 2-year

institutions. However, community organizations less frequently served middle school

participants and more frequently served 12th graders (Table 8).

II. Demographics 11

Figure 8. Participant distribution by grade level: 1998-99

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search

Performance Reports, 1998-99.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Postsecondary 

dropout 

High school (or 

GED graduate) 

Secondary school 

dropout 

12th grade only

9th-11th grade

6th-8th grade

1% 

 2% 

 2%

 22%

 43%

 30%

Table 8. Participant distribution by grade level and type of host institution: 1998-99

High

Secondary school Post6th-8th 9th-11th 12th grade school (GED) secondary

Sector grades grades only dropout graduate dropout

Public 4-year 30% 46% 20% 2% 2% 1%

Private 4-year 34% 45% 17% 1% 2% 0%

2-year 35% 45% 16% 2% 2% 0%

Community organizations 24% 37% 33% 2% 3% 2%

All projects 30% 43% 22% 2% 2% 1%

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99.
G. Veterans served

In 1998-99, the percentage of Talent Search participants who were veterans was very

small, less than 1 percent.

H. Participants of limited English proficiency

Five percent of Talent Search participants were reported to have limited English proficiency. A person of limited English proficiency is defined as one whose native language is not English and who has sufficient difficulty speaking, reading, writing, or

understanding English to prevent that person from learning successfully in classrooms in which English is the language of instruction. The figures for 1998-99 show

that five percent of the students served by projects based in 4-year public schools had

limited English proficiency. Six percent of students served by 4-year private schools,

5 percent of students served by 2-year private schools, and 3 percent of students

served by community organizations had limited English proficiency (not shown 

in tables).

I. Target schools

Talent Search projects served an average6 of 14 target schools. Target schools, by definition, are secondary schools designated by the grantee as a focus of project 

services. Projects based in public 4-year colleges and universities generally served the

largest number of target schools, an average of 16 schools per project (Figure 9).

Private 4-year colleges and universities served an average of 12 schools, 2-year 

colleges served an average of 13, and community organizations served an average of 

11 target schools.

Of the 349 projects that completed the 1998-99 performance report, 341 submitted

a list of target schools. These projects combined served a total of 5,105 schools.

The only information we have from the performance report data about a target

school is the name and location (city, state, and zip code). In an effort to obtain more

in-depth knowledge of the characteristics of Talent Search target schools, we conducted an experimental merge of target school names from the performance report

with school names in the Common Core of Data (CCD). The CCD is a comprehensive database of elementary and secondary schools across the nation. The data are collected by the U.S. Department of Education, updated on an annual basis, and provide

basic descriptive information about public schools in the United States. Data are provided at both the school and district levels.

12 A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99

6The average refers to the median in this case. The median was used because one

particularly large project served a total of 135 target schools, and this skewed the overall mean. The mean number of target schools served by Talent Search was 15 schools.
Matches to the CCD were found for 91 percent of the 5,105 target schools listed in

the performance report. Errors in the names or locations of schools as provided in the

performance reports may have contributed to the lack of a match for some schools.

Some non-matches may also be attributed to the fact that the CCD information is

one year older than the performance report data.7

One issue that the merge to the CCD allowed us to examine was the extent to which

eligible students in the target schools were served by the Talent Search Program. A

proxy measure of the number eligible for Talent Search is the number eligible for the

free lunch program. This measure is not the same as the Talent Search eligibility criterion but it does give an indication of the proportion of economically disadvantaged students who were served. To be eligible for the free lunch program, family income must

not exceed 130 percent of the poverty level. Overall estimates show that Talent Search

served about 20 percent of the estimated number of students eligible for free lunch in

the target schools.8 State-by-state results, provided in Table 9, also show that this estiII. Demographics 13

Figure 9. Number of target schools per project by type of host institution:

1998-99

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search

Performance Reports, 1998-99.

20

15

10

5

0

Public 

4-year

Private 

4-year

2-year Community 

orgs.

All

projects

16

12

13

11

14

No. of Target Schools

7The 1997-98 school year was the latest year for which the CCD was available

when this analysis was conducted.

8The percentages were calculated by dividing the total number of participants in

Talent Search in a given state by the total number of students eligible for the free

lunch program in the target schools in that state.
14 A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99

Table 9. Estimate of eligible students served by Talent Search: 1998-99

Number of Number Number served Number served

secondary Number eligible for as percentage of as percentage of

students eligible for free lunch number eligible number eligible

served by free lunch program in for free lunch for free lunch

Talent program in all secondary program in program in all

State Search target schools schools target schools secondary schools

Alabama 19,621 66,518 142,287 29.5 13.8

Alaska 853 825 15,616 103.4 5.5

Arizona n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Arkansas 7,503 18,936 64,933 39.6 11.6

California 24,878 212,130 1,105,907 11.7 2.2

Colorado 4,479 13,505 62,616 33.2 7.2

Connecticut 1,583 10,122 44,445 15.6 3.6

Delaware 1,350 7,825 14,766 17.3 9.1

District of Columbia n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Florida 5,825 47,683 344,627 12.2 1.7

Georgia 9,497 71,002 260,299 13.4 3.6

Hawaii 1,900 10,815 23,353 17.6 8.1

Idaho 2,698 8,601 24,500 31.4 11.0

Illinois n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Indiana 5,110 18,463 88,136 27.7 5.8

Iowa 6,845 15,045 45,759 45.5 15.0

Kansas 4,781 20,257 73,788 23.6 6.5

Kentucky 6,647 33,269 114,696 20.0 5.8

Louisiana 10,706 71,088 185,457 15.1 5.8

Maine 830 2,221 25,081 37.4 3.3

Maryland 3,048 16,190 84,842 18.8 3.6

Massachusetts n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Michigan 4,273 25,554 177,875 16.7 2.4

Mississippi 5,389 29,281 160,378 18.4 3.4

Missouri 2,387 8,266 103,219 28.9 2.3

Montana 2,092 3,951 14,757 52.9 14.2

Nebraska 1,613 9,200 26,875 17.5 6.0

Nevada 1,381 3,378 25,640 40.9 5.4

New Hampshire 1,222 1,178 10,478 103.7 11.7

New Jersey 6,340 28,351 167,262 22.4 3.8

New Mexico n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

New York 15,183 71,574 465,877 21.2 3.3

North Carolina 8,645 45,924 156,559 18.8 5.5

North Dakota 2,384 2,749 12,447 86.7 19.2

Ohio 8,903 35,979 168,130 24.7 5.3

Oklahoma 7,063 34,995 111,926 20.2 6.3

Oregon 2,060 8,683 58,531 23.7 3.5

Pennsylvania n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Rhode Island 865 6,770 16,513 12.8 5.2

South Carolina 7,114 31,897 120,090 22.3 5.9

South Dakota 1,035 3,303 23,094 31.3 4.5

Tennessee n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Texas 14,563 97,352 611,515 15.0 2.4

Utah 5,069 6,985 35,690 72.6 14.2

Virginia 1,300 2,247 14,869 57.9 8.7

Vermont 7,135 21,862 116,043 32.6 6.1

Washington n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Wisconsin 2,392 17,854 59,015 13.4 4.1

West Virginia 3,459 17,263 92,360 20.0 3.7

Wyoming 625 1,105 7,773 56.6 8.0

Outlying areas 10,636 37,664 262,605 28.2 4.1

Overall 241,282 1,197,860 5,740,629 20.1 4.2

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99; National Center for Education Statistics, Elementary/Secondary and Libraries Studies Division,

Common Core of Data, 1997-98.
II. Demographics 15

mate varied a great deal across states. California, for example, served 11.7 percent of the

“eligible population” while Alaska and New Hampshire served over 100 percent.9

Table 9 also presents the number of secondary school students10 served by Talent

Search as a percentage of the free-lunch-eligible students in all secondary schools, not

just the target schools. Secondary schools were defined as schools serving students in

grade 7 or higher. We limited our analysis to secondary schools because the Talent

Search Program regulations require participants to be in grade 6 or higher. Overall,

Talent Search projects served 4 percent of the students eligible for the free lunch program in secondary schools across the U.S. and outlying areas.

The second issue we considered was the difference in demographic characteristics

between target schools and all other schools. We selected two variables from the CCD

for this analysis: the percentage of free-lunch-eligible students in a given school and

the ratio of pupils to full-time-equivalent teachers, or the pupil-teacher ratio. In Table

10, we present the data on free lunch status. The second column indicates the average

percentage of free-lunch-eligible students for the Talent Search target schools in that

state.11 The third column provides the percentage of free-lunch-eligible students for

all other secondary schools in that state.12 The fourth column is the difference

between the percentages for Talent Search target schools and for all other secondary

schools.13 The last column provides the percentages for all secondary schools, regardless or whether or not they are Talent Search target schools.14 Table 11 provides information in a similar manner for the pupil-teacher ratio.

9There are several possible reasons why some states exceeded 100 percent. First,

the income guidelines for participation in Talent Search and participation in the federal free lunch program differ somewhat. For Talent Search, a participant’s household

income must not exceed 150 percent of the poverty level. To qualify for free lunch,

income must not exceed 130 percent. In addition, Talent Search requires that only

two-thirds of the participants meet both the low-income and first generation eligibility requirements. The remaining one-third need not meet either of those criteria.

10Only secondary school students in states with free lunch data were included in

the analysis.

11Percentages were calculated by dividing the total number of students eligible

for free lunch in the target schools by the total enrollment in the target schools.

12Percentages were calculated by dividing the number of students eligible for

free lunch in all secondary schools that were not targeted by Talent Search by the

total enrollment in those schools.

13To calculate the difference, we subtracted the value in column 3 (percentages

of free-lunch-eligible students in all other schools) from the value in column 2 (percentages of free-lunch-eligible students in the target schools).

14Percentages were calculated by dividing the total number of secondary school

students eligible for free lunch in a given state by total enrollment in secondary

schools in that state.
Table 10. Percentages of students eligible for the federal free lunch program in Talent

Search target schools, all other secondary schools, and all secondary schools, 

by state: 1998-99

Talent Search All other All secondary

State target schools secondary schools Difference schools

Alabama 41.3 30.1 11.2 32.8

Alaska 10.6 22.5 -11.9 21.2

Arizona n/a n/a n/a n/a

Arkansas 35.0 27.1 7.9 28.8

California 50.1 36.2 13.9 37.9

Colorado 30.1 15.1 15.0 18.0

Connecticut 55.1 13.5 41.7 16.3

Delaware 27.8 23.8 4.0 25.8

District of Columbia n/a n/a n/a n/a

Florida 30.3 28.9 1.4 29.2

Georgia 50.4 33.7 16.7 37.1

Hawaii 32.1 23.0 9.1 25.6

Idaho 17.5 20.4 -3.0 19.4

Illinois n/a n/a n/a n/a

Indiana 27.5 15.8 11.7 17.4

Iowa 20.6 15.6 5.0 17.0

Kansas 44.6 24.9 19.7 28.7

Kentucky 31.0 32.3 -1.4 32.3

Louisiana 52.6 40.6 12.0 43.5

Maine 28.4 19.7 8.7 20.2

Maryland 27.0 19.5 7.5 20.6

Massachusetts n/a n/a n/a n/a

Michigan 48.8 18.7 30.1 20.5

Minnesota 35.1 15.2 19.9 16.5

Mississippi 68.0 52.9 15.1 55.1

Missouri 43.0 21.1 21.9 22.2

Montana 28.3 15.6 12.6 17.8

Nebraska 32.5 14.4 18.1 17.7

Nevada 16.2 18.5 -2.3 18.1

New Hampshire 10.0 9.0 1.1 9.1

New Jersey 56.5 22.2 34.3 24.3

New Mexico n/a n/a n/a n/a

New York 52.0 30.1 21.9 31.8

North Carolina 30.7 22.5 8.2 24.1

North Dakota 36.3 17.8 18.5 19.5

Ohio 40.2 14.6 25.5 16.9

Oklahoma 43.3 28.6 14.7 31.8

Oregon 27.9 18.9 9.0 19.9

Pennsylvania n/a n/a n/a n/a

Rhode Island 44.8 16.3 28.5 22.1

South Carolina 33.8 35.3 -1.4 34.9

South Dakota 47.1 27.6 19.5 29.3

Tennessee n/a n/a n/a n/a

Texas 45.5 29.8 15.6 32.1

Utah 20.1 14.2 5.9 15.1

Virginia 19.3 22.4 -3.1 22.0

Vermont 30.0 18.5 11.5 19.9

Washington n/a n/a n/a n/a

Wisconsin 40.1 32.9 7.2 34.9

West Virginia 48.5 16.2 32.3 18.5

Wyoming 22.0 14.4 7.7 15.1

Outlying areas 61.5 74.0 -12.5 71.8

Overall 40.6 26.8 13.8 28.8

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99; National Center for Education Statistics, Elementary/Secondary and Libraries Studies Division,

Common Core of Data, 1997-98.

16 A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99
II. Demographics 17

Table 11. Average pupil-teacher ratios for Talent Search target schools, all other secondary schools, and all secondary schools, by state: 1998-99

Talent Search All other All secondary

State target schools secondary schools Difference schools

Alabama 17.1 16.5 0.6 16.7

Alaska 19.0 21.3 -2.4 21.3

Arizona 17.7 18.7 -1.0 18.6

Arkansas 15.6 16.5 -0.9 16.3

California 22.8 22.2 0.7 22.2

Colorado 15.6 17.0 -1.4 16.9

Connecticut 15.0 14.1 0.9 14.1

Delaware 16.4 13.4 3.0 14.5

District of Columbia n/a n/a n/a n/a

Florida 18.8 17.1 1.6 17.3

Georgia 16.2 16.3 -0.1 16.3

Hawaii 17.0 16.7 0.2 16.8

Idaho 17.6 15.7 1.9 16.1

Illinois 16.2 16.6 -0.5 16.6

Indiana 17.3 16.9 0.3 17.0

Iowa 14.1 14.0 0.0 14.1

Kansas 14.8 13.1 1.7 13.3

Kentucky 16.5 17.0 -0.6 16.9

Louisiana 17.1 15.9 1.2 16.1

Maine 13.9 14.3 -0.4 14.2

Maryland 17.0 16.1 0.9 16.2

Massachusetts n/a n/a n/a n/a

Michigan 18.5 18.4 0.0 18.4

Minnesota n/a n/a n/a n/a

Mississippi 17.3 17.4 -0.1 17.4

Missouri 14.7 14.2 0.6 14.2

Montana 13.7 12.3 1.4 12.4

Nebraska 14.7 11.0 3.7 11.2

Nevada 21.8 18.6 3.2 18.9

New Hampshire 14.5 14.4 0.1 14.4

New Jersey 13.2 13.7 -0.6 13.7

New Mexico 15.6 15.8 -0.2 15.8

New York 17.7 15.4 2.3 15.5

North Carolina 13.8 13.4 0.4 13.5

North Dakota 11.4 13.4 -2.0 13.3

Ohio 17.1 16.9 0.2 16.9

Oklahoma 14.6 14.8 -0.2 14.8

Oregon 19.5 17.9 1.6 18.0

Pennsylvania 17.7 16.9 0.8 17.0

Rhode Island 14.1 13.0 1.1 13.1

South Carolina 15.7 15.7 0.0 15.7

South Dakota 17.9 13.7 4.2 13.9

Tennessee n/a n/a n/a n/a

Texas 13.9 13.7 0.2 13.7

Utah 19.0 19.7 -0.7 19.6

Virginia 12.9 13.5 -0.6 13.4

Vermont n/a n/a n/a n/a

Washington 19.5 20.3 -0.8 20.3

Wisconsin 15.1 14.8 0.3 14.9

West Virginia 16.2 15.7 0.4 15.7

Wyoming 16.3 13.7 2.6 13.9

Outlying areas 18.2 20.1 -1.9 19.0

Overall 16.5 15.9 0.5 16.0

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99; National Center for Education Statistics, Elementary/Secondary and Libraries Studies Division,

Common Core of Data, 1997-98.
Forty-one percent of students in the Talent Search target schools overall were eligible for the free lunch program. This is about 14 percentage points higher than for all

other secondary schools. Pupil-teacher ratios, however, differed very little between

target schools and all other schools when averaged across the U.S. and outlying areas.

The average class in a Talent Search target school had about 17 students.

18 A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99
III. PROJECT SERVICES 

AND ACTIVITIES

This section provides an overview of the types of services and activities that Talent

Search projects provide to their participants. The performance reports asked projects

to list the number of activity sessions and the number of participants who attended

each of 10 activities over the 1998-99 program year. Staff reported participants by age

group—middle school, high school, and adult. Middle school participants were those

in grades 6 to 8, and high school participants were those in grades 9 to 12 or who had

dropped out of high school. Any participant who had completed high school or

earned a GED was considered an adult.

Table 12 shows the percentages of projects that provided each service, broken out by

education level. For example, the first row indicates that 72 percent of Talent Search

projects provided tutoring to middle school students, 65 percent provided tutoring to

high school students, 13 percent provided tutoring to adults, and 80 percent provided tutoring to participants overall. College orientation activities, testtaking and study skills development, counseling, and academic advising/course selection were the services most commonly offered overall. The numbers in the table illustrate that Talent Search services are geared more toward students in middle and high

schools than toward adults.

19

Table 12. Percentages of projects offering services to participants, by grade level: 1998-99

Middle High

Service School School Adult Overall

Tutoring 72% 65% 13% 80%

Assisted (computer) labs 48% 52% 12% 63%

Test-taking & study skills development 84% 88% 24% 92%

Counseling 86% 90% 43% 92%

Academic advising/course selection 80% 90% 39% 91%

Mentoring 50% 50% 9% 58%

Cultural activities 87% 80% 16% 90%

College orientation activities 81% 93% 36% 95%

Family activities 76% 79% 20% 84%

Referrals 39% 59% 32% 68%

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99.
A. Academic support services

The following four services, grouped as academic support services, were defined as

follows in the performance report:

• Tutoring—individual or small group tutoring provided by professional staff 

or students who are either part-time paid staff, volunteers, or internship-forcredit students.

• Assisted (computer) labs—academic support or tutoring provided through a

learning or computer center, which may include computer-assisted instruction.

• Test-taking and study skills development—workshops, tutoring, or individual

assistance specifically designed to help students develop the skills necessary to

do any of the following: 1) succeed in academic programs, 2) meet scoring

requirements on national or state standardized tests for admission into a postsecondary educational institution, or 3) pass a high school equivalency exam.

• Academic advising and course selection—assisting students in making education plans, selecting appropriate courses, meeting academic requirements,

planning for high school graduation, and gaining admission to a postsecondary

educational institution.

Three different methods were used to look at the extent to which services were

offered to participants. The first measure indicated the percentage of all Talent

Search participants who received a service. The second measure was the average

number of sessions per project (for only those projects that undertook that service).

The third measure looked at the average number of sessions per participant (for those

participants engaged in that service). Projects differed in the manner in which they

counted sessions, but we included these data here as an indicator of intensity rather

than a measure of the number of participant contacts. This measure underestimates

the actual sessions per participant. When a project provided services to a group of five

people, for example, the project was instructed to count the session as one rather than

five sessions.

20 A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99

Table 13. Percentages of participants receiving academic support services, average number of sessions per project, and average number of sessions per participant for

participants overall: 1998-99

Average Average

Percentage of number of number of

participants sessions sessions

Service receiving service per project per participant

Tutoring 21% 547 2.1

Assisted (computer) labs 13% 149 0.9

Test-taking & study skills development 47% 265 0.6

Academic advising/course selection 65% 673 1.1

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99.
Table 13 shows that 21 percent of participants overall received tutoring, 13 percent

attended assisted labs, 47 percent attended test-taking and study skills development

sessions, and 65 percent were advised on academic matters. Projects typically provided 547 tutoring sessions, 149 assisted labs, 265 test-taking and study skills development sessions, and 673 sessions related to academic advising/course selection over the

1998-99 program year. The average number of tutoring sessions per participant over

this period was about two and the average for other academic support services was

approximately one.

1. Middle school participants

As shown in chapter II, about 30 percent of the participants in Talent Search were in

middle school (grades 6-8). More than half of participants in this group received academic advising and participated in activities designed to enhance test-taking and

study skills. Figure 10 shows that 63 percent of middle school participants were

involved in these activities. Other forms of academic support were less common.

Thirty-five percent were tutored and 17 percent were assisted through the use of a

learning lab potentially involving computer-assisted instruction.

Each project provided an average of 390 tutoring sessions, 73 labs, 128 test-taking and

study skill development sessions, and 214 academic advising/course selection sessions to

its middle school participants (Table 14). The average number of tutoring sessions per

participant was three, which was two sessions more than for assisted labs, test-taking

and study skills development sessions, and academic advising/course selection sessions.

III. Project Services and Activities 21

Figure 10. Percentages of middle school participants receiving academic

support services: 1998-99

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search

Performance Reports, 1998-99.

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

Tutoring Assisted 

(computer) labs

Test taking

& study skills

Academic 

advising

35%

17%

63% 63%
2. High school participants

Sixty-four percent of the high school participants received academic advising through

Talent Search (Figure 11). Another 41 percent attended test-taking and study skills

development sessions, 14 percent attended tutoring sessions, and 11 percent were

involved in assisted labs.

Academic advising and counseling related to course selection were the predominant means

by which high school students received academic support. As shown in 

Figure 11, the participation level for academic advising was higher than for other academic support services, implying that services to high school students are geared more heavily

towards college preparation. In addition, Table 15 shows that the average number of academic advising sessions was 462, higher than for any other academic support service.

22 A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99

Table 14. Average number of sessions per project and average number of sessions per

participant for middle school participants: 1998-99

Average number of Average number of

Service sessions per project sessions per participant

Tutoring 390 3.0

Assisted (computer) labs 73 0.8

Test-taking & study skills development 128 0.7

Academic advising/course selection 214 1.0

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99.

Figure 11. Percentages of high school participants receiving academic support

services: 1998-99

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search

Performance Reports, 1998-99.

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

Tutoring Assisted 

(computer) labs

Test taking

& study skills

Academic 

advising

35%

17%

63% 63%

14% 11%

41%

64%
3. Adult participants

Seventy-two percent of the adult participants in Talent Search received academic

advising/course selection. Fewer participated in tutoring, assisted labs, or test-taking

and study skills development services (Figure 12). Since adult participants are less

likely to be enrolled in school upon entering Talent Search, services such as tutoring

or computer assisted labs may be less applicable.

Academic support services for adults were less frequent than those provided to middle and high school participants. The average numbers of sessions per project ranged

from 34 for assisted labs to 63 for academic advising and course selection (Table 16).

The average number of sessions per participant was about one for all academic support services.

III. Project Services and Activities 23

Table 15. Average number of sessions per project and average number of sessions per

participant for high school participants: 1998-99

Average number of Average number of

Service sessions per project sessions per participant

Tutoring 230 1.8

Assisted (computer) labs 105 0.9

Test-taking & study skills development 143 0.5

Academic advising/course selection 462 1.1

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99.

Figure 12. Percentages of adult participants receiving academic support

services: 1998-99

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search

Performance Reports, 1998-99.

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

Tutoring Assisted 

(computer) labs

Test taking

& study skills

Academic 

advising

35%

17%

63% 63%

12% 12%

29%

72%
B. Personal and career development services

An additional six services and activities were grouped into a single category, comprising activities designed to enhance the personal and career development of Talent

Search participants. These services, such as counseling and mentoring, often had a

much broader function, involving help with academic decisions in addition to personal and career-related matters. The six activities were defined as follows in the performance report:

• Counseling—assistance with personal, educational, and career decision-making.

• Mentoring—a variety of personal or academic support activities provided by

other students or professionals and designed to expose project participants to

careers and other educational opportunities available to them.

• Cultural activities—any project-sponsored activities, such as field trips, special

lectures, and symposiums, that are intended to enrich the project participants’

academic progress and personal development.

• College orientation activities—workshops, college fairs, or project-sponsored

trips to other postsecondary institutions to acquaint students with a variety of

postsecondary educational opportunities.

• Family activities—events, workshops, meetings, and counseling designed to

provide families with information on postsecondary educational opportunities 

and financial aid available and to involve them in the educational decisions of

their children.

• Referrals to other service providers—the formal and informal network of social

service programs and community organizations, including other TRIO

Programs, available to help project participants.

Counseling topped the list as the service received by the largest number of participants overall (77 percent). Fifty-four percent participated in college orientation sessions, 33 percent in cultural activities, 30 percent in family activities, and 17 percent

in mentoring. Twelve percent of participants received referrals to outside service

providers (Table 17).

24 A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99

Table 16. Average number of sessions per project and average number of sessions per

participant for adult participants: 1998-99

Average number of Average number of

Service sessions per project sessions per participant

Tutoring 36 1.4

Assisted (computer) labs 34 1.3

Test-taking & study skills development 37 1.2

Academic advising/course selection 63 1.3

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99.
Counseling was also provided more frequently than other personal and career development services. Each project, on average, conducted 1,286 counseling sessions during the 1998-99 program year. Each project also provided 233 mentoring sessions, 

59 cultural activities, 217 college orientation activities, 94 family activities, and 

27 referrals to external service providers. The large number of counseling sessions,

relative to the other activities, may be due to the fact that counseling often occurs on

an individual basis while other activities tend to occur in larger groups.

1. Middle school participants

In Figure 13, we present participation rates for personal and career development services for middle school participants. The chart illustrates that counseling is a vital part

III. Project Services and Activities 25

Table 17. Percentages of participants receiving personal and career development services

for participants overall: 1998-99

Percentage of Average number

participants of sessions

Service receiving service per project

Counseling 77% 1,286

Mentoring 17% 233

Cultural activities 33% 59

College orientation activities 54% 217

Family activities 30% 94

Referrals 12% 27

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99.

Figure 13. Percentages of middle school participants receiving personal and

career development services: 1998-99

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search

Performance Reports, 1998-99.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Referrals

Family activities

College orientation

Cultural activities

Mentoring

Counseling

10% 

 36%

 48%

 49%

 27%

 83%
of the Talent Search Program for middle school students, whereas referrals are not.

College orientation and cultural activities were also popular with this group; approximately half of middle school participants (48 percent) attended each of these activities. Approximately one-third participated in mentoring (27 percent) or family activities (36 percent).

2. High school participants

No single service or activity was provided to all high school participants. Nevertheless,

a large proportion of participants (73 percent) received counseling services (Figure 14).

More than half of the high school students participated in college orientation activities

(56 percent). Approximately one-quarter attended cultural or family activities 

(26 and 27 percent, respectively). Thirteen percent of students participated in mentoring, and 11 percent received referrals to service providers other than Talent Search.

3. Adult participants

Three-quarters of adult participants (73 percent) received counseling, and almost half

(49 percent) participated in college orientation activities (Figure 15). Thirty-two 

percent received referrals, and 39 percent participated in family activities. Mentoring

was the service provided to the smallest percentage of adult participants (7 percent).

26 A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99

Figure 14. Percentages of high school participants receiving personal and

career development services: 1998-99

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search

Performance Reports, 1998-99.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Referrals

Family activities

College orientation

Cultural activities

Mentoring

Counseling

11% 

 27%

 56%

 26%

 13%

 73%
C. Historical perspective on service provision

Relatively little information is available on how the Talent Search Program and its

services have evolved since the program began. A report by Elizabeth Eisner, however, provides one slice of the program’s lengthy history by analyzing performance

report data from the 1986-87 and 1990-91 program years (Eisner 1992). The 

1986-87 data included 68 percent of the grantees while the 1990-91 data included 92

percent. Of the 177 projects in operation in 1990-91, 162 submitted performance

reports. Only services and activities included for the 1990-91 program year were discussed in the Eisner report.

The performance report in 1990-91 differed somewhat from the current version of

the report. Thus, direct comparisons between the 1990-91 data and the 1998-99 data

are not possible for all of the service dimensions. In addition, definitions were not

given for each of the services listed, providing no parameters for categorizing services. There were, however, five general areas of overlap in the performance report

items: tutoring, development of study skills, counseling, cultural activities, and college orientation. In counseling, the overall participation rate was 9 percentage points

lower in 1998-99 than in 1990-91. In tutoring, study skills, cultural activities, and college orientation, the 1998-99 levels exceeded those reported by Eisner for 1990-91

(Table 18). This information demonstrates the increased focus on academic services

in Talent Search in the 1990s.

III. Project Services and Activities 27

Figure 15. Percentages of adult participants receiving personal and career

development services: 1998-99

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search

Performance Reports, 1998-99.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Referrals

Family activities

College orientation

Cultural activities

Mentoring

Counseling

 32%

 39%

 49%

 20%

 7%

 73%
28 A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99

Table 18. Percentages of participants receiving each type of service, comparing

performance report data from 1990-91 and 1998-99

Service 1990-91 1998-99

Tutoring 8% 21%

Study skills 5% 47%

Counseling 78% 77%

Cultural activities 9% 33%

College orientation 19% 54%

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99 and Eisner, “Analysis of Talent Search Performance Reports, 1986-87 and 1990-91.”
IV. PERFORMANCE

OUTCOMES

In the fourth section of the performance report, grantees were asked to report on their

progress in meeting their approved objectives. These objectives were outlined in a project’s grant proposal and needed to relate to the goals of the Talent Search Program as

well as respond to the prior experience criteria as described in the program regulations.

The outcomes addressed secondary school retention, graduation, and reentry. The outcomes also included application for admissions and financial aid for postsecondary education for college-ready participants. College-ready participants include adults, 12th

grade high school students, and high school or high-school-equivalency graduates.

Only Talent Search projects with the following types of data were included in the

objective and outcome calculations: 1) the applicable population (e.g., number of high

school participants); 2) objective data; and 3) outcome data. Projects missing any of

these three data types were not included in the calculations. In addition, some projects reported higher numbers in the outcomes than in the applicable population

counts (e.g., more students graduating from high school than 12th grade participants). Thus, we capped the outcomes at the number reported in the population, so

no calculation was over 100 percent.

A. Secondary school retention, graduation, and reentry

Secondary school retention, graduation, and reentry were defined as follows in the

instructions that accompanied the performance report form:

• Secondary school retention—all secondary students who will continue in middle and high school for the next academic term.

• Secondary school graduation—all high school seniors (and GED students or

alternative education students) who received a high school diploma or completed a high school equivalency program during the reporting period.

• Secondary school reentry—all secondary school dropouts who reentered high

school or enrolled in a high school equivalency program during the reporting

period.

Projects did not appear to have difficulty meeting the objectives they had initially set.

Ninety-eight percent of middle school participants and 96 percent of high school participants in Talent Search stayed in school (Table 19). Projects had expected 89 percent

to do so. Ninety-four percent of high school students who were in the 12th grade at

the beginning of the reporting period (September 1, 1998) had graduated by the end

of the reporting period (August 31, 1999). In addition, 51 percent of those participants

29
who were reported as having dropped out of high school at the beginning of the

reporting period had returned to school by the end of the reporting period (Table 19).

B. Admissions and financial aid assistance

One of the aims of the Talent Search Program is to assist participants with the process

of applying to college and obtaining financial aid, thus helping to overcome some of

the barriers that economically disadvantaged students often face when pursuing postsecondary education. Program staff can offer assistance at various stages of the college

application process—selecting schools to apply to, choosing appropriate courses,

completing the application, and finding ways to finance a college education. Talent

Search Program staff were asked to provide the following information to assess the

extent to which participants were receiving these services:

• Applied for postsecondary admission—number of participants who received 

help with college entrance applications and the number who applied for postsecondary admission.

• Applied for student financial aid—number of participants who received help

completing financial aid forms, including scholarship applications, U.S.

Department of Education federal student financial aid forms, and state applications for financial aid; and the number who applied for financial aid.

30 A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99

Table 19. Comparison of approved objectives and actual achievements for secondary

school outcomes: 1998-99

Outcome Approved objective Actual

Retention

Middle school 89% 98%

High school 89% 96%

Graduation

Middle school * *

High school 88% 94%

Reentry

Middle school 64% **

High school 64% 51%

*Not applicable for middle school participants. Although promotion from middle to high school was not

included among the approved objectives, projects were asked to provide the number of middle school students who went on to high school. Projects reported 37,027 participants, or 40 percent of all middle school

participants, were promoted from middle to high school. Performance report data on the number of middle

school students eligible to be promoted were not available, so we were not able to determine the percentage

of eligible students promoted.

**The performance report did not ask projects to provide the number of participants who were middle

school dropouts at the beginning of the reporting period. As a result, we were not able to determine the percentage of middle school dropouts that reentered middle school. Projects reported that 1,385 participants

reentered middle school during the 1998-99 program year.

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99.
Overall, projects had expected to assist 90 percent of their participants with applications for postsecondary admissions and student financial aid. Projects reported that

83 percent of participants applied to college, and 82 percent applied for financial aid

(Table 20).

C. Postsecondary admission and reentry

Postsecondary enrollment numbers were divided into the following two groups:

• Postsecondary admissions—number of high school graduates and participants

who have completed requirements to obtain a high school equivalency degree, as

well as other eligible individuals who have enrolled in programs of postsecondary

education for the first time during this reporting period or for the fall term.

• Postsecondary reentry—number of participants who were previously dismissed

or had halted their educational progress toward a postsecondary degree, but

who reenrolled in a program of postsecondary education during the reporting

period or for the fall term.

In the 1998-99 program year, projects expected 75 percent of eligible participants to

enroll in college and expected about 65 percent of participants who had previously

dropped out of college to reenroll. Talent Search projects reported that 

71 percent enrolled for the first time and that 72 percent of the drop-out participants

reentered school (Table 21).

IV. Performance Outcomes 31

Table 20. Comparison of approved objectives and actual achievements for assistance in

applying for postsecondary admissions and financial aid: 1998-99

Outcome Approved objective Actual

Assistance in applying for postsecondary admissions 90% 83%

Assistance in applying for student financial aid 90% 82%

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99.

Table 21. Comparison of approved objectives and actual achievements for postsecondary

outcomes: 1998-99

Outcome Approved objective Actual

Postsecondary admissions 75% 71%

Postsecondary reentry 65% 72%

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99.
D. Postsecondary placement

In addition to the number of participants who enrolled or reenrolled in college, projects provided information on the types of colleges those participants chose to attend.

For the Talent Search Program as a whole, 81 percent of those participants who went

on to college attended a public institution; 41 percent attended a public 

4-year school and 40 percent attended a public 2-year school (Figure 16). Another 

11 percent enrolled in a private 4-year school. The remaining students chose to

attend a vocational or technical school, proprietary school, or a 2-year non-profit

school (Figure 16).

Among Talent Search projects based in postsecondary institutions, it was common for

participants to attend college at an institution of the same type as the program’s host

institution. Students from programs based in public 4-year schools, for example,

attended a public 4-year college at a rate of 48 percent, which is higher than from any

other sector. Twenty percent of students from projects based in private 4-year schools

also attended a private 4-year college and 55 percent of students from projects at 

2-year schools attended a 2-year college (Table 22).

32 A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99

Figure 16. Postsecondary placement of participants for Talent Search overall:

1998-99

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search

Performance Reports, 1998-99.

Proprietary 

school 

1%

Public 

2-year

40%

Non-profit 

2-year 

1%

Public 

4-year

41%

Private 

non-profit 

4-year 

11%

Public or

non-profit 

vocational

or technical 

school 

5%
IV. Performance Outcomes 33

Table 22. Postsecondary placement of participants by sector: 1998-99

Percentage Percentage Percentage Percentage

admitted to admitted to admitted to admitted to

Sector public 4-year private 4-year 2-year* other types**

Public 4-year 48% 9% 34% 8%

Private 4-year 44% 20% 28% 9%

2-year 31% 8% 55% 6%

Community organizations 41% 12% 41% 5%

All projects 41% 11% 40% 6%

*Includes 2-year public and non-profit schools.

** Includes vocational or technical schools and proprietary schools.

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99.

V. DATA ISSUES 

AND FUTURE PLANS

The following section highlights data issues, response rates, and possible future modifications to the Talent Search performance report. The rates of completion for individual data items and sections on the performance report were generally high (Table 23).

All items related to demographics and performance outcomes, with the exception of

secondary school reentry and postsecondary school reentry, had response rates of 

90 percent or higher. The response rates for items in the services section could not

be determined from the given data. In this particular section, projects were given a

list of 10 services to report on. They were asked to list the number of sessions they

provided during the performance period and the number of participants served

through each activity. Because not all projects provided all 10 services, it was not possible to determine whether a field was left blank because that particular service was

never provided or because the project did not have the information on hand.

An additional difficulty in interpreting the services data was the lack of clarity about

how the numbers of sessions and participants for a given service were calculated. The

instructions on the performance report stated that “the number of sessions, activities,

events, and organizations categories should reflect the total number of these provided. For example, the project may have conducted 50 tutoring sessions for 15 adults.

Thus, under the ‘Tutoring’ column, the project should indicate No. of Sessions—50,

No. of Participants—15.” In the given example, it is not clear whether each of the 15

participants attended 50 group sessions, or whether 50 individual sessions were held

and split among 15 students.

Some additional data issues were as follows:

• The total numbers of participants did not always add up across some of the sections. For example, the total number provided in the participant distribution

by eligibility section did not always equal the total for the participant distribution by age.

• When a field was left blank, we could not determine whether the field was not

applicable or the data item was missing.

Some data quality issues remain to be addressed. The U.S. Department of Education

has already added edit checks to the Web-based application to require the totals in

each part of Section II of the report to add up to the total number served. The results

of this change should be immediately apparent in the 1999-2000 performance data.

The Department will continue to clarify the directions for completing the reports and

to make revisions based on feedback from the project staff concerning the report form

and instructions.

35
36 A Profile of the Talent Search Program: 1998-99

Table 23. Section/item response rates: 1998-99

Section/Item Response rate

Number of participants assisted 100%

Participant distribution by eligibility 100%

Participant distribution by ethnic background 100%

Participant distribution by gender 100%

Participant distribution by age 100%

Veterans served 99%

Participants of limited English proficiency 99%

Target schools 98%

Approved objectives:

Secondary school retention 96%

Secondary school graduation 94%

Secondary school reentry 74%

Assistance in applying for postsecondary admissions 90%

Assistance in applying for student financial aid 92%

Postsecondary admissions 96%

Postsecondary reentry 58%

Participant status at the end of the reporting period:

Continued in middle school 97%

Promoted from middle school to high school 97%

Continued in high school 97%

Reentered middle school 92%

Reentered high school 94%

Received high school diploma 96%

Obtained a GED/high school equivalency degree 92%

Applied for admission to programs of postsecondary education 96%

Applied for student financial aid for postsecondary education 96%

Admitted to (or enrolled in) a program of postsecondary education 97%

Reenrolled in a program of postsecondary education 91%

Dropped out of middle school 95%

Dropped out of high school 97%

Other 96%

Unknown 92%

Postsecondary placements (types of institutions) 94%-98%

Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Federal TRIO Programs, Talent Search Performance

Reports, 1998-99.
REFERENCES

Eisner, Elizabeth. “Analysis of Talent Search Performance Reports, 1986-87 and

1990-91.” Paper included in the report from the Design Conference for the

Evaluation of the Talent Search Program, hosted by the U.S. Department of

Education, Office of Planning and Evaluation, September 30, 1992.

37