About gear up
WHAT IS GEAR UP
GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate
Programs) was enacted as part of the 1998 Higher Education Act to give more low-income students the skills, encouragement, and preparation to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. GEAR UP grants have been awarded to 47 states and three territories. Program services are specifically designed to support the middle school reform effort in each State.
WHY BEGIN COLLEGE PREPARATION IN MIDDLE SCHOOL
Recent data indicates that California’s educational pipeline – from the time students enter secondary education to when they graduate from college – needs significant repairs. For every 10 students who start high school in California, fewer than two will complete a higher education degree within the expected time. Analysis by the National Center on Public Policy and Higher Education shows where the pipeline is “leaking” in California:
- 8th graders perform poorly on the national assessments in math, reading and writing compared to their peers in other states;
- A very small percentage of low-income 8th graders perform well on the national assessment in math and science with the percentage dropping over the past nine years, particularly among low-income and minority students;
- Very small proportions of high school students enroll in upper-level science courses.
PROGRESS IN CALIFORNIA
In August 2007, the California Department of Education released the 2007 results of California’s Standardized Testing and Reporting Program (STAR) – data showing whether California’s students are demonstrating knowledge of the skills they need to know and are able to demonstrate. All groups of students are improving, in almost all grades and subjects with most performing at grade level across the board. As noted by the Education Trust West “…achievement gaps hobbling California’s Latino, African-American and low-income students are huge. In many cases the gaps are growing; in a few cases, gaps are closing – by a mere point or two”. Clearly, for California’s large numbers of underperforming students, WE NEED TO DO MORE.
CALIFORNIA GEAR UP: A Model of Collaboration
The goal of the California GEAR UP state program is to develop and sustain the organizational capacity of middle schools to prepare ALL students for high school and postsecondary education through the establishment of a statewide network of support. Since 1999, the California GEAR UP program State grant and the 68 partnership projects have impacted over 1/3 of the 1200 middle schools in California, with the State grant serving over 215,000 students in 227 schools in 88 school districts. The state model is designed to create a self-sustaining college-going culture by working with whole schools through the adults that have the greatest impact in student life and experience: the principals, teachers, counselors, families and community leaders. The state model includes one school collaboration, GEAR UP/Valley High Collaboration, where a cohort of students is being followed from middle school through high school graduation. By increasing the academic capacity of California middle schools, GEAR UP helps students meet the State Board of Education standards and advance toward successful high school completion and college participation.
WE BELIEVE
- That ALL students deserve an equitable education – one that provides the knowledge and skills to choose and be successful in postsecondary education pursuits;
- That students must master rigorous academic standards to successfully progress along the pipleline from middle school to high school and into and through college;
- That in order for students to plan for college they need to see themselves in college;
- That overcoming the challenges faced by low-income, first-generation college-bound students requires the continued engagement of school leaders, families and communities.
Click here for current news about Capitol Hill action and the GEAR UP program. |
