The GEAR UP Program

Posted by Estela Kennen Jan 4, 2007

GEAR UP – or Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs – funds programs targeting low-income students starting no later than 7th grade and continuing through 12th grade. Started under the Clinton administration in 1998, GEAR UP awards competitive grants to states or Partnerships of school districts and/or institutes of higher education.

GEAR UP requires a multifaceted approach with two key components:

• Providing early intervention to ensure that students go to college, including: 1) Providing academic support—such as mentoring, tutoring, summer school, and counseling—for at risk students, and 2) Informing students and parents about the advantages of a post-secondary education and financial aid
• Providing funding for college to GEAR UP graduates.

In recognition that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, a great deal of flexibility is built into GEAR UP. Grantees are encouraged to carry out programs based on their students’ needs as well as available resources, while avoiding duplication of services. The result is an exciting diversity of strategies. For instance, the “Zoo and Su Program” gives students from Syracuse, New York the opportunity to study at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, where they can learn about biology, zoology, and animal care in an applied setting. Meanwhile, schools in Escondido, California, have developed a nine-week “Parent Institute” that provide strategies to help parents improve their children’s academic performance and plan for college. The over 300 graduates of the Parent Institute have consequently increased their involvement in school activities. GEAR UP programs also expose students and parents to postsecondary education through diverse means such as videos, booklets, talks, and field trips to college campuses.

While GEAR UP is still young, at least some programs have shown results:

• The number of applicants from North Hollywood High to California State University Northridge increased from 173 to 277, while applications to UCLA went from 117 to 148. Additionally, the number of 11th graders taking the SAT increased 74%, with nearly half of the juniors scoring above 1000 – the national median for seniors.
• San Marcos High School in California doubled the number of students taking the PSAT, or Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test.
• The number of students taking Algebra by 9th grade has increased from 69% to 90% at the East Texas GEAR UP Project.
• From 1999 to 2001 the number of discipline referrals in the GEAR UP schools in Florida’s Alachua County decreased 12%.

Many GEAR UP schools have parternships with local nonprofits – for things such as tutoring, mentoring, field trips, and more. In low-income, traditionally low performing schools, GEAR UP helps create the expectation that students will go to college. It is no wonder that California, which graduates only one in five Hispanic students with a college-ready transcript, calls its GEAR UP program “a bridge to the future.”