Decision Information Resources, Inc. (DIR) has been awarded a new 54-month evaluation of the Federal TRIO Programs, which provide outreach and student services to help individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds access and complete college. Funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), this effort represents the next phase in a long line of studies designed to strengthen and modernize TRIO programming across the nation.

Working in partnership with Mathematica, the evaluation will include both a Descriptive Study and a Feasibility Study that will shape options for future outcome evaluations. DIR will conduct two rounds of web surveys, coordinate five virtual expert advisory panel meetings, and collaborate with Mathematica and IES to produce user-friendly, public-facing reports and analytic products. The study will examine TRIO program operations and participant experiences and inform the design of future research assessing program effectiveness and long-term outcomes.

DIR’s responsibilities span study design, data collection, and quality assurance, with an emphasis on methodological rigor and accessible dissemination. Leveraging its experience conducting large-scale, complex federal evaluations and its longstanding history with TRIO studies— including Upward Bound, Talent Search, and McNair—DIR will contribute advanced data analysis, culturally responsive evaluation practices, and stakeholder-engagement expertise to ensure that findings are both rigorous and relevant.

The TRIO Evaluation will generate evidence to guide program improvement and policy decisions for educational access and attainment among underrepresented populations. By combining DIR’s deep understanding of postsecondary-access programs with Mathematica’s evaluation expertise, the project will deliver insights about future research and help the Department of Education strengthen pathways to and through college for first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students.