GEAR UP

The Denver Post as recently discussed a new opportunity for local schools.

The U.S department of education has given a grant of 4.8 million dollars to eights schools throughout northwest Denver. The grant was used to create a program called GEAR UP. This stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. This is a seven year grant for students in the sixth and seventh grade. It is aimed to get more students enrolled in college and to help them once they get there. The grant targets lower income students and follows the matched cohort through high school.

One of the primary goals of the grant is to intervene with disadvantage populations early on. In addition, the grant provides scholarships to low – income students. The mission of GEAR UP states that it strives to “close the Colorado Achievement Gap, as it relates to college admissions and graduation, to prepare all students to meet rigorous expectations and to level the playing field for all Colorado’s low income students.” In Colorado, this is the first year of the third cycle for this grant.

Through this program students visit different colleges and are exposed to what college life may be like. At a young age students are presented with the idea of going to college. Those who were not fortunate enough to directly benefit from this grant will indirectly benefit from new structures implemented at their schools. This program serves about 1,500 students each year. Data has shown that GEAR UP students are more knowledgeable about the college process, including financial aid, and have a higher retention rate. Through this program, 85% of students have earned college credit while in higher school. This saves students money in the long run. From what I have read this seems like a promising program. It is unclear to me how the students are chosen. It seems to me that only a small population are being serviced through this grant.