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The GEAR UP vision...
Former President Clinton,
beginning with his January 1998 State of the Union address, proposed the
High Hopes for College Initiative, creating a national goal that every college
should partner with at least one middle school in a low income community
to help raise expectations and ensure that students become prepared for post-secondary
education. The legislation that followed became the GEAR-UP (Gaining Early
Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) program, providing five-year
grants, on a competitive basis for both local partnerships and states. Ultimately,GEAR-UP
was modeled after the following proven programs:
I
Have A Dream provides
an entire grade of low income students with intensive mentoring academic
support, and a promise of public and private aid for college tuition.
Project GRAD is
a college-school community partnership to improve inner city education.
Students receive curricular, counseling, and scholarship opportunities
to bring college within reach.
THE COLLEGE OPPORTUNITY
GAP IS REAL
- Only 47 percent
of low-income high school graduates immediately enroll in college or
trade school, compared to 82 percent of high-income students.
- Only 18 percent
of African-Americans and 19 percent of Hispanic high school graduates
earn a bachelors degree by their late twenties, compared to 35 percent
of whites.
- The opportunity
gap persists regardless of academic preparation: 22 percent of college-qualified
high school graduates with low family incomes don't pursue post-secondary
education, compared to only 4 percent of high-income graduates.
GEAR UP BRIDGES
THE OPPORTUNITY GAP
- Enacted in 1998,
Gear-UP funds partnerships of high-poverty middle schools, colleges
and universities, community organizations and businesses to work with
entire grade levels of students. The partnerships provide tutoring,
mentoring, information on college preparation and financial aid, an
emphasis on core academic preparation and, in some cases, scholarships.
- GEAR-UP works with
students starting in the 7th grade or earlier through high school graduation
because research shows that students taking challenging courses (including
algebra) in middle school are much more likely to succeed in high school
and go on to college.
- In its first year,
GEAR-UP served more than 450,000 students nationwide. Over 1,000 organizations
are GEAR UP partners including colleges and universities, libraries,
arts organizations, local chambers of commerce, the YMCA, Boys and
Girls Clubs, Wal-Mart, Unisys, and the New York Times Education program.
Visit
the Gear Up Website
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