Characteristics of three federally funded talent search (TRIO) programs with at least fifteen years of continuous service in the Southern California area

The Office of Education indicates that over 100 million dollars in federal funds are provided to Talent Search (TS) Programs each year. It is important to all stakeholders---the United States Department of Education, TS Program facilitators, program participants, educational institutions, and the community at large---that research determine the characteristics of programs that are continuously funded. Programs that are not continuously funded may profit from examining characteristics of those that are continuously funded.;The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of three Southern California TS programs that have been continuously funded for at least fifteen years. While examining only three continuously funded programs does not serve to establish sufficient numbers for generalization, it is an initial exploration of characteristics of such programs.;The data collection process consisted of a survey constructed by the researcher, namely, the TS Administrative/Director survey. It was distributed to and completed by the participating Southern California program directors. The researcher also conducted interviews with both TS Directors and their TS Institutional Supervisors. Finally, the researcher examined program-related materials that were provided by each program administrator.;The results of the study indicated that the characteristics of all three programs were mainly three: (a) director or administrative control of the program, (b) institutional and supervisor support of the program, and (c) program staff commitment. These characteristics were consonant with those identified in the literature. In addition to characteristics of program leadership, institutional support, and staff commitment, director/administrative stability and consistency also played roles in the longevity of the programs.