GEAR UP Day in Olympia

Don Bennett, HECB Executive Deputy Director welcomes GEAR UP participants

     Students and parents from across Washington gathered in the Capitol Rotunda in Olympia on Feb. 18 to praise a program that opens college doors to middle- and high-school students who might not otherwise have dreamed they could walk through them.

     Gov. Chris Gregoire proclaimed the day Washington GEAR UP Day in recognition of the program, which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. The federally funded program serves more than 33,000 students in grades six through 12 across Washington.

     GEAR UP focuses on creating college opportunities for students in high-poverty school districts that lack structured college awareness and preparation programs. The program is a partnership of the Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Governor’s Office, and nine independent partnerships among colleges, schools and state and local organizations.

     GEAR UP provides some key services, including:

• Early intervention in the form of tutoring, mentoring, after-school and summer experiences, and financial aid information.

• A curriculum that encourages students to think about their futures and plan accordingly.

• Support for students and families involved in the college-application and selection process.

• Scholarships.

     GEAR UP strives to:

• Increase the academic performance and preparation for postsecondary education;

• Increase the rate of high school graduation and participation in postsecondary education for GEAR UP students; and

• Increase GEAR UP students’ and their families’ knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation and financing.

     During the GEAR UP Day ceremony in Olympia, students and their parents described how the program had expanded students’ educational horizons through the work of caring tutors and such activities as field trips to college campuses.

     A 2008 study by Washington State University showed that GEAR UP students are more likely to enroll in college and earn degrees than comparison groups that had not gone through the program.

     The GEAR UP program helps achieve the goals of the state’s Strategic Master Plan for Higher Education by expanding the pipeline of low-income and minority students who are prepared to succeed in college and earn degrees. Expanding the pipeline is necessary in order to provide the educated workers who will be needed in the years ahead.

     More information is available on the HECB Web site and on the GEAR UP program’s site – www.gearup.wa.gov.