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| Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs | |
|---|---|
| Name | GEAR UP-like programs |
| Type | Pre-college outreach |
| Established | 1998 |
| Founder | United States Department of Education |
| Country | United States |
Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs are pre-collegiate initiatives designed to increase postsecondary enrollment among historically underrepresented students through early intervention, academic advising, and college-readiness supports. Programs commonly align with national policy goals and local implementation partners to address disparities identified in studies by National Center for Education Statistics, reports from U.S. Department of Education, and analyses by Pew Research Center.
The core purpose echoes mandates from No Child Left Behind Act-era reforms and subsequent guidance from the U.S. Department of Education to improve college access via sustained outreach, drawing on models promoted by organizations such as College Board, ACT, Inc., and research from Harvard Graduate School of Education and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Objectives often include raising high school graduation rates, increasing Free Application for Federal Student Aid completion, and improving college enrollment metrics monitored by agencies like National Student Clearinghouse and evaluators at RAND Corporation.
Typical structures combine summer academies, after-school tutoring, mentoring, and family engagement coordinated by consortia of public schools, community-based organizations, and higher-education institutions such as City University of New York, University of California, Berkeley, or Texas A&M University. Components often mirror evidence-based interventions from studies at Johns Hopkins University, include test-preparation modeled on College Board resources, and use data systems interoperable with state longitudinal data systems like those in California Department of Education or Texas Education Agency.
Eligibility commonly targets low-income students, first-generation college applicants, and communities served by Title I schools under statutes influenced by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Programs often prioritize cohorts defined by zip code, middle-school grade level, or feeder patterns associated with districts such as Chicago Public Schools, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and Los Angeles Unified School District, and coordinate with tribal education offices like the Bureau of Indian Education for Indigenous students.
Recruitment leverages partnerships among local school districts, higher-education institutions, nonprofit organizations like Boys & Girls Clubs of America, philanthropic funders such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Lumina Foundation, and municipal actors exemplified by collaborations with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and Houston. Outreach strategies include community events, bilingual materials informed by research from Annie E. Casey Foundation, and employer partnerships with firms modeled on corporate social responsibility programs from Microsoft and Google.
Academic and advising curricula integrate college-readiness frameworks informed by Common Core State Standards Initiative and college success strategies used by institutions like Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Programs include mentoring approaches inspired by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, career exploration linked to resources from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and social-emotional learning practices evaluated at Yale University and University of Michigan.
Rigorous evaluation employs randomized controlled trials and quasiexperimental designs like those conducted by What Works Clearinghouse partners and analysts at Mathematica Policy Research and Abt Associates. Outcome metrics include high school graduation rates tracked by National Center for Education Statistics, college enrollment and persistence recorded by National Student Clearinghouse, and FAFSA completion rates monitored by state higher-education coordinating boards such as the California Student Aid Commission.
Funding models blend federal grants administered by the U.S. Department of Education, state support from agencies like California Department of Education, philanthropic awards from entities such as The Ford Foundation and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and local district contributions akin to budgets in Boston Public Schools. Administrative oversight frequently involves memoranda of understanding among partners, compliance with federal grant reporting standards overseen by the Office of Management and Budget, and sustainability planning informed by endowment practices at universities like Princeton University.
Category:College access programs