Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs

The goal of GEAR UP is to increase the number of these students who matriculate into in-state public universities. The grant operates on a six-year grant program. The grants are divided into two groups: state grants and partnership grants. The plan must show an intention to increase the rate of college-going for low-income students in addition to providing a scholarship to students. Applicants that are awarded grants ("grantees") are required to submit annual performance reports to ensure that their implementation of these funds falls in line with the mission of the US Department of Education. Nationally, GEAR UP programs have at least helped to spur some interest about college in low-income communities. in 2006, 66 percent of student survey respondents had spoken with someone about college entrance requirements. On March 21, 2018, Congress agreed to increase the national funding for GEAR UP programs by 2.9 percent. == Early Intervention and College Awareness Program ==

The GEAR UP chapter focuses heavily on the Early Intervention and College Awareness Program. This program provides a guarantee of financial aid to low-income students who have obtained a secondary diploma or its equivalent. The program was also designed to aid students in elementary and high school to be aware of the benefits of higher education, and to reach the educational level necessary to attend an institute of higher education. Institutions eligible for grant money include states, partnerships between middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities, and community organizations and businesses. The grant also stipulates that at least 50% of the participants must be eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, or are at or below 150% of the Federal poverty level. Entities receiving grant money are given a fair amount of autonomy. Each plan is devised and implemented independent of other entities. However, each plan must include comprehensive mentoring, counseling, outreach, and supportive services, including financial aid counseling, providing information and activities regarding college admissions, achievement tests, and application procedures, and improving parental involvement. Funds can support identification of at-risk children, after school and summer tutoring, assistance in obtaining summer jobs, academic counseling, volunteer and parent involvement, providing former or current scholarship recipients as mentor or peer counselors, skills assessment, providing access to rigorous core courses that reflect challenging academic standards, personal counseling, family counseling and home visits, staff development, programs for students of limited English proficiency, and summer programs for remedial, developmental or supportive purposes. For students who successfully complete the middle school and high school programs, there are scholarships available. In order to be eligible for this students must be less than 22 years of age and have participated in the early intervention component of the program. Not more than 10% of the students from a secondary school can be eligible, in a process requiring application and dependent in part on class rank. These students must attend in-state higher education institutes, unless the college or university provides for portability of funding. If so, students are required to complete a prescribed set of courses and maintain satisfactory progress. The scholarships provided must be no less than 75% of the average cost of attendance for an in-state student in a four-year program at a public institution, and no less than the maximum Federal Pell Grant for that fiscal year. However, the total award to any one student cannot exceed that student's cost of attending the school. The program also allows a small percentage, only 0.75% to be used in assessing and evaluating the effectiveness of an entity's plan. When the program was passed in 1998, $200 million was appropriated for the following fiscal year, and for five years after. Since the passing of the bill, this program has been met with general approval. It was particularly successful in Connecticut. However, because each entity designs and implements unique plans, the results of the GEAR UP program have been varied. == Chicago GEAR UP Alliance ==

The Chicago GEAR UP Alliance has been in existence since 1999, and since then has been operating out of the Center for College Access and Success. The fiscal institution for the Chicago GEAR UP Alliance is Northeastern Illinois University, and they partner with many local higher education institutions such as Roosevelt University, DePaul University, Loyola University, Truman College, while also partnering with community based organizations such as Heartland Alliance, Youth Guidance, and New Concepts Mentor Connection. The Chicago GEAR UP Alliance works with the Chicago Public Schools to combine resources, knowledge, and experience to implement their plan within the Chicago Public School System. The last graduating class for the Chicago GEAR UP Alliance was the class of 2011, which featured 65% of students enroll in college, 95% of students complete the FAFSA, received over $30 million in scholarship awards, and out of the 24 Gates Foundation Scholarship award winners, 12 of them were GEAR UP students. The class of 2011 also saw more than 80% of the students graduate high school, and of the 65% of students who enrolled in college, 64% of those students continued their college careers beyond their first year. Currently, the Chicago GEAR UP Alliance operates within these high schools for the classes of: 2016 and 2017: Clark, Clemente, Curie, Foreman, Harlan, Kelly, and Roosevelt High School. 2017 and 2018: Bogan, Corliss, Douglass, Dunbar, Farragut, Foreman, Hancock, Harlan, Hope, Hubbard, Hyde Park, Julian, Kelvyn Park, Little Village, Manley, Raby, Robeson, Roosevelt, Senn, Solorio, Spry Community Links, Engelwood Technical Prep Academy, Uplift, and Well Community Academy. 2020 and 2021: Bogan, Farragut, Foreman, Goode, Harlan, Hubbard, Julian, Kelly, Morgan Park, Robeson, Roosevelt, Senn, Solorio, and Engelwood Technical Prep Academy. == Other programs ==

Other programs amended include: • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants • Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Program - including creation of the Special Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Program • Special programs for students whose families are involved in migrant and seasonal farmwork • The Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Program - $45 million appropriated for fiscal year 1999 • Child Care Access Means Parents in School - supporting campus-based child care at secondary schools • Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnerships - a project for technology-based education outside of a traditional setting • Federal Family Education Loan Program • Federal Student Loan Reserve Fund == References ==