Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP)

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP)

GEAR UP is a seven-year grant program funded by the US Department of Education that is designed to increase the number of low-income students prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education by providing grants to partnerships of local education agencies and institutions of higher education in collaboration with other community organizations. GEAR UP provides funding for academic support services for low-income students, including students with disabilities, to enable them to obtain a secondary school diploma and to prepare for and succeed in postsecondary education.

 

All GEAR UP schools must: (1) Implement the cohort model; (2) Provide information regarding financial aid for postsecondary education; (3) Encourage student enrollment in rigorous or challenging curricula and coursework to reduce the need for remedial postsecondary coursework; and (4) Improve the number of students who obtain a secondary school diploma and complete applications for and enroll in a program of postsecondary education. Other GEAR UP grant and evaluation activities include: (1) Mentoring; (2) Tutoring; (3) Dual enrollment programs that support students in STEM; (4) Academic and career counseling; (5) Financial and economic literacy education; (6) Exposure to college campuses; (7) Work-based learning experiences; (8) Wrap-around mental health and support services; and (9) Collecting and reporting data and evaluation findings annually on performance measures, promising evidence,  and program impact.

 

TEG’s Experience with GEAR UP:

  • 2018 Iredell-Statesville Schools, NC
  • 2011 Charleston County School District, SC