TexPREP
TexPREP.
Since 1986,
TexPREP-Lubbock at Texas Tech University has provided a mathematics-based summer
enrichment program for middle and high school students from cultural and
economic backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in mathematics, science, and
engineering. Through a rigorous academic program that offers hands-on
experiences applying mathematics to science and engineering, students gain
confidence in their mathematics skills and in their ability to succeed in higher
education. Current enrolment in this program is about 80 students per year
divided into four groups based on grade levels 7 through 11 with some students
completing the program at the end of 10th grade. The program is
offered for six weeks each summer and students study algebra, pre-calculus,
calculus, physics, engineering, robotics, programming, college readiness,
leadership, and SAT preparation.
This
program has an impressive record of including populations that are traditionally
underrepresented in mathematics. Since the program’s inception, more than 870
students have participated. Of these students, 51% were female and 45% were
minorities. In addition, the TexPREP experience has been shown to improve the
retention rate of students in high school through college. The results of a 2001
survey of 699 previous participants, with 60% responding, showed that the high
school graduation rate of TexPREP participants was 100% and 98.9% were either
college students or graduates from college or junior college.