When Jesus told "the parable of the sower," which appears in three of the four gospels, his farmer audience probably thought about fields and crops. But when I read it, I think about schools and students.

A lot of teaching is like throwing seeds out there, hoping they'll find some root and the kids will not only learn, but appreciate learning. When the class ends, you hope that what you taught "fell upon good ground and yielded fruit that grew up and made increase."

Recently, I've had some contact with students in Plattsburgh State's Upward Bound program who persuaded me that they are "good ground."

The Upward Bound students attend various schools: all of the Clinton County schools; Chateaugay, Franklin Academy, Brushton/Moira, Tupper Lake, St. Regis Falls and Saranac Lake in Franklin county; and Elizabethtown/Lewis, Moriah, Crown Point and sometimes Lake Placid in Essex County. The kids qualify as a result of economic and family guidelines (available at the U.S. Education Department's Upward Bound Web site).

"We serve about 160, 170 students each year," says Director Elaine Levitt. "We now have 132 in our summer program."

MUCH SUCCESS
In summer, the students study the usual academic subjects, such as journalism — which included a tour of this newspaper. During the regular academic year, there are special activities and an Upward Bound counselor visits them at their school on a regular basis.

Throughout the year, Upward Bound students will visit more than 30 colleges, explore careers via job shadowing, go to plays and concerts, explore the Champlain Valley and beyond. Many of them went to Quebec City in May, for example.

Does it work? The numbers are impressive. According to the Plattsburgh program's Web site, its alumni are twice as likely to graduate from college as other low-income students. More than 90 percent of the Plattsburgh Upward Bound students attend four-year institutions, while only 23 percent of other low-income students attend such schools.

Without even checking her files, Elaine Levitt recalls various Upward Bound success stories.

"Many nurses have gone through the program, a few medical technicians, lots of teachers, at least one superintendent and one vice principal."

Levitt also mentioned Plattsburgh State's Holly Heller-Ross, a Fulbright Fellow.

Heller-Ross is the interim associate dean of Library and Information Services at Plattsburgh State. She is also an alumna of Upward Bound who attended the summer program for three years.

"I came from an isolated area of AuSable Forks," says the AuSable Valley High School graduate. "The summer program was like going to a much bigger town and a bigger social scene. It had a tremendous, positive effect on my social confidence."

CONVINCED
Heller-Ross remembers the expansion of her cultural world — seeing an opera and a Shakespearean play.

"And we used all of the college — the athletic facilities, the library, the dormitories. So we knew what a campus was like, and I think that gave us a leg up when we entered our own college as a freshman."

Heller-Ross also credits the tutor-counselors she met in the program.

"They were such warm, interesting people, and diverse — different races and from different places."

In addition to academics and cultural events, Upward Bound students receive training in people-skills. In July, counselor Julie Coon organized a mock-interview day to prepare students for college interviews they'll someday face.

"If we admit you, it means we'll not accept some other student," I said to the young man I was interviewing. "So why you?"

"Because I'll work hard, and I'll succeed. The space won't be wasted on me. And I'll help other students if I can," he answered.

I was convinced.

Since 1966, Upward Bound has provided the knowledge, experience and skills kids need to succeed, to grow.

Jerry McGovern, the Press-Republican's coordinator of Newspapers-in-Education, taught in New York state's public schools, and now teaches in the Communication Department of Plattsburgh State. He can be reached at gmcgovern@pressrepublican.com or 565-4126. This column is the opinion of the writer and not necessarily of this newspaper.