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About DC GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs)
GEAR UP -- Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs -- is a grant program under the US Department of Education designed to increase the number of students from low income communities who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. The five-year grants to states and partnership programs enable grant recipients to offer services to students in middle, junior high and high school. The program serves an entire cohort of students beginning no later than the seventh grade and follows them through high school. GEAR UP funds are also used to provide college scholarships to its participants.
Established through a five-year grant awarded to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) in the amount of $4.6 million dollars, the District’s GEAR UP program is designed to improve the academic performance of approximately 1,000 middle/junior high school students. The Program includes several components: academic preparation; early college awareness information and education for students, parents, teachers, and counselors; college financial assistance information; and student and family support services, such as counseling, mentoring, and tutoring.
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