Opportunity Gap vs. Opportunity Evaluating the Upward Bound Program through the Opportunity Gap Explanatory Framework

First-generation and low-income high school students have historicallyexperienced disadvantages to enrolling in post-secondary education. While there are many programs that assist first-generation and low-income high school students in enrolling and achieving post-secondary education, it is unclear if these programs create equitable opportunities for their target populations. This study explores the realities of the people, and policies in practice at an Upward Bound program to understand if the program creates opportunities for first-generation and low-income students in the program, or if the realities of the people and policies in practice in the program create opportunity gaps thus impacting first-generation and low-income students in the program. The study was conducted through the opportunity gap explanatory framework which provided a framework to understand the educational practices that construct opportunity gaps. The perspective of two administrators and three educators from one rural Upward Bound program was captured. Ethnographic interviews were conducted to collect data and thematic analysis was used to analyze and describe the opportunities and opportunity gaps that existed within the program. The data suggest that both opportunities and opportunity gaps co-exist within one rural Upward Bound program.