**Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for**

**Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP)**

**Project Abstracts for FY 2012 State and Partnership Grants**

**FY 2012 GEAR UP State Abstracts**

**PR Award Number:**P334S120012

**Grantee:**Northern Arizona University

**Director’s Name:**Teena Olszewski

**State:**Arizona

**Year One Funding:**$4,600,656

**Telephone Number:**(602) 776-4616

**E-mail Address:**teena.olszewski@nau.edu

Arizona GEAR UP (AZ Gear UP) replicates the successful GEAR UP student cohort model implemented in 40 of Arizona’s neediest schools over the past decade, and it adds a project component that significantly improves, by 2017, the college and career readiness of three-fourth of the state’s low-income, middle grade students.  At the same time, AZ GEAR UP III leverages key initiatives of the U.S. Department of Education, the Arizona Governor’s Education Reform Plan, and the Arizona Board of Regents’ Vision 2020 Plan by building capacity within communities and statewide to strengthen family/parent engagement and augment secondary school resources, so that more students are well prepared for college and careers.

The large-scale work proposed in phase III is made possible by the infrastructure and systems created during phase I and II by the State GEAR UP Office at Northern Arizona University –the AZ GEAR UP III applicant agency and institution charged by three governors, since 2000 with administering the state GEAR UP program.

AZ GEAR UP III is informed by emerging research on best educational practices, data collected during AZ GEAR UP I and II, rigorous evaluation, and productive, strategic collaborations with numerous partners: the Arizona Business and Education Coalition; the Arizona College Scholarship Foundation; the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education; the Arizona Community Foundation; the Arizona Department of Education; the Arizona Governor’s Office; Arizona State University; ACT Inc.; the National Center for Educational Achievement; the City of Phoenix; Expect More Arizona; local community colleges; Parametric Technology Corporation; and the University of Arizona.

AZ GEAR UP III activities and services delivered over a seven-year project period feature all of those required under HEOA (Higher Education Opportunity Act) and many permissible, including: academic mentoring; outreach; financial aid information; rigorous, and challenging curricula; common core state standards; data-based professional development; career exploration; college visits; credit recovery, College-and-Career-Readiness System assessments; parental involvement; scholarships; student workshops; Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) enrichment; summer programs; transition programs; and tutoring and test preparation.

**PR Award Number:**P334S120031

**Grantee:**Connecticut Board of Governors for Higher Education

**Director’s Name:**Malia Sieve

**State:**Connecticut

**Year One Funding:**$4,930,389

**Telephone Number:**(860) 947-1859

**E-mail Address:**msieve@ctdhe.org

The proposed, seven-year Connecticut State GEAR UP project will serve 3,200 students attending twelve middle schools using the cohort of students approach, during middle school and through high school. The project will initially serve both 6th and 7th graders at the three target middle schools in Waterbury and 7th graders only at the target middle schools in East Hartford and New Haven. The program will also provide professional development to teachers in the schools and college awareness and financing seminars to parents.

The Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education (BRHE), which is the governing body for the three partner Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), will coordinate the project, while the IHE partners – Manchester Community College (MCC), Naugatuck Valley Community College (NVCC), and Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) – will develop, provide, and evaluate services to students, parents, teachers, and schools. This project design represents a more de-centralized approach than in the previous State GEAR UP grants carried out in Connecticut with the intent of greatly enhancing the organic nature of service development and administration to fit localized needs and specific provider strengths. It also has the advantage of significantly emphasizing GEAR UP as a collaborative partnership that will strengthen over the period of the grant and beyond as the partners capitalize on their mutual interdependence. 

**Goals/Impact:**The goals of the project are threefold.  First, the project will increase student and family knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation, and financing.  Second, the project will increase student academic performance and preparation for postsecondary education.  Third, the project will increase the rate of high school graduation and enrollment in postsecondary education among students in target schools. 

**Activities and Services:**Six components comprise the project:  (1) Early College Awareness; (2) Parental Awareness and Engagement; (3) Student Achievement / College Readiness; (4) School Improvement; (5) Transition to College; and (6) College Scholarships.  Services are nested within these components.  Direct services include mentoring for students, summer programs, assessment of student learning and evaluation of results, student workshops, parent workshops, campus visits, curriculum alignment and development within the context of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), professional development for school teachers, and college scholarships. 

**Outcomes:**Project services are expected to promote the following outcomes:  (1) students and parents will be able to explain college options, needs and expectations; (2) students will develop motivation to attend college; (3) students will improve their abilities to read, write, calculate, and think critically; (4) teachers and university faculty will align curricula vertically in the context of CCSS; and (5) students and parents will be able to finance a college education.

**PR Award Number:**P334S120028

**Grantee:**Nevada Department of Education

**Director’s Name:**Charlotte Curtis

**State:**Nevada

**Year One Funding:**$3,000,000

**Telephone Number:**(775) 687-9243

**E-mail Address:**ccurtis@doe.nv.gov

The 2011-2018 *Nevada State GEAR UP*application is a collaborative effort among the Nevada Department of Education (NDE), Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), Office of the Governor, Office of the State Treasurer, and diverse stakeholders, including parents/families, students, agency representatives, and businesses (e.g., Wells Fargo Nevada, AT&T, American College Testing (ACT), College Board, Nevada Public Education Foundation, Texas Instruments).  NDE, as lead agency and fiscal agent, will direct the project implementation with its partners. 

The Nevada vision:  (1) change the culture of schools located in economically disadvantaged communities to ensure that all students are prepared academically and has resources to attend and succeed in college; and (2) increase NSHE institution involvement in *GEAR UP* schools to facilitate a seamless transition from secondary to postsecondary attendance and success. *Nevada State GEAR UP*is based on the need for students to do well academically in middle and high school, enroll in rigorous and relevant classes, graduate high school, and enter college as a natural extension of their education. Activities for students include mentoring; tutoring; Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) activities; field trips; financial literacy; and parent/family involvement.  *Nevada State GEAR UP*will develop a framework and field test strategies in *GEAR UP* middle schools for the implementation of the recently adopted Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the Nevada College Readiness Standards. *Nevada State GEAR UP has*four goals: 

1. Increase the academic performance and preparation for postsecondary education of Gear UP (GU) students.

2. Increase the rate of high school graduation and participation in postsecondary education of GU students. 

3. Increase GU student and parent/family knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation, and financing. 

4. Create a college-going culture in GU middle schools to ensure that all students have the opportunity, support, guidance, and information to obtain the skills and knowledge necessary to apply for and succeed in postsecondary education. 

*Nevada State GU*will operate statewide in 19 middle schools serving 5,480 students in two cohorts. Both cohorts will begin the program in 7th grade; cohort one in Year 1 and cohort 2 in Year 2. The project schools are located in nine of the 17 Nevada County School Districts or local education agencies (LEAs). The Nevada request of $21,000,000 in federal funds over the seven-year grant period will be matched by non-Federal funds of $1,345,211 from NDE and $19,702,774 from partners, a non-federal funds match total of $21,047,985 to change school academic culture by raising expectations for secondary and postsecondary readiness and success.

**PR Award Number:**P334S120005

**Grantee:**New Mexico Higher Education Department

**Director’s Name:**Chandler Barrett

**State:**New Mexico

**Year One Funding:**$4,840,591

**Telephone Number:**(505) 476-8424

**E-mail Address:**chandler.barrett@state.nm.us

GEAR UP New Mexico (NM), administered through the New Mexico Higher Education Department (NMHED), is requesting $33,884,140 and has secured 104 percent in matching funds of $35,356,521 for this proposed seven-year, statewide priority-select program that will implement research-based practices significantly impacting student learning and school improvement in the following district paired schools: Pecos Middle School/High School; Tse Bit Ai MS/Shiprock HS; Los Alamitos MS/Grants HS; Coronado MS/ HS; San Diego Riverside MS/Walatowa HS; Jemez Valley MS & HS; Los Lunas MS & HS; Ortiz MS/Capitol HS; Garcia MS/Mora HS; Penasco MS & HS; Red Mountain MS/Deming HS, and Cochiti MS/Santo Domingo MS/Bernalillo HS.

Targeted interventions will occur within 12 districts and 25 schools, with direct services being provided to approximately 11,000 students in grades 7-12 across the state. Further, high school graduates will be supported with their enrollment, transition and engagement in their first year of college. Participating schools are low-income, i.e., 84 percent average free and reduced lunch rate and have a high percentage of low-performing, minority students: approximately 57 percent Hispanic, 33 percent Native American, 9 percent Anglo American, and 1 percent African American and others.  Eighteen and one half percent (18.5 percent) of our students are English Language Learners (ELL). Eight different languages – Spanish and seven Native American Languages – are the primary languages spoken at home. For the United States to regain world-class education status, minority students will need to earn an additional three million degrees by 2020. In reaching this goal, GEAR UP NM districts will:  (1) establish a rigorous college- and career-readiness program of study; (2) close the equity gap in high school graduation; (3) increase student success in the first year of college; and (4) scale up initiatives that work for minority students. 

During our prior successful project, GEAR UP NM identified effective practices and policies for systemic school improvement focused on increasing the college- and career readiness of students. We propose to continue this work through an annual New Mexico Best Practices in Education Conference and online Educational Practices Network, establishing structures and processes for statewide dissemination of proven practices identified locally and nationally. GEAR UP NM, the New Mexico Higher Education, and the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) form a statewide partnership supporting all GEAR UP goals and objectives. Other partnerships join in leveraging our work to establish rigorous college- and career-readiness standards, assessments and effective services to students. Our partners include:  the New Mexico College Success Network; ACT, Inc.; New Mexico Data Systems Council; Cobro Consulting, Inc.; and the GEAR UP College Readiness Evaluation Consortium. GEAR UP NM will also partner with 27 postsecondary institutions, seven of which are minority-serving institutions, in improving first-year experience programs for students in their first year of college.

**PR Award Number:**P334S120003

**Grantee:**University of North Carolina General Administration

**Director’s Name:**Melissa Caperton

**State:**North Carolina

**Year One Funding:**$4,130,139

**Telephone Number:**(919) 962-3355

**E-mail Address:**mcaperton@northcarolina.edu

**Project Goals and Objectives:**

**1.1:**Increase the percentage of students taking and successfully completing Pre-Algebra by the end of 8th grade.  **1.2:**Increase the percentage of students taking and successfully completing Algebra I by the end of 9th grade.  **1.3:**Increase the percentage of students taking and successfully completing two years of math beyond Algebra I by the end of the 12th grade.  **1.4:**Increase the percentage of students who have knowledge of and demonstrate necessary academic preparation for college.  **1.5:**Increase the percentage of students who enroll in college without the need for remedial coursework.

**2.1:**Decrease the high school dropout rate.  **2.2:**Increase the high school graduation rate. **2.3:**Increase average daily attendance rates at middle schools and high schools. **2.4:**Increase the percentage of students who apply, enroll, and succeed in college. **2.5:**Increase the percentage of students who are on track to graduate from college.

**3.1:**Increase students’ and families’ knowledge of postsecondary education financing. **3.2:**Increase families’ active engagement in assisting students with academic preparation for college. 

**Partners:**College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC); North Carolina Department of Public Instruction; North Carolina Community College System; North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities; North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority; College Foundation, Inc.; American College Testing (ACT); SAS Institute; and the North Carolina Business Committee for Education. 

**Target Local Education Agencies (LEAs):**Alamance-Burlington; Edenton-Chowan; Lenoir; McDowell; Pamlico; Perquimans; Person; Rockingham; Scotland; Warren; and Yancey. 

**Activities and Services that will be Implemented:**GEAR UP North Carolina (GU-NC) will serve approximately 21,917 students in 11 low-income target local education agencies (LEAs) across North Carolina during the seven-year project. Services will be provided to all students in the identified groups at target LEAs by the GU-NC state office and GU-NC staff in the LEAs. Priority will be placed on traditionally underserved and underrepresented students. GU-NC will use a combined approach to implementing these services with both a cohort and priority model. Four cohorts of 7th graders at target middle schools will be added during the first four years of the project and served throughout the project. In the priority model, 12th grade students at target high schools will be served annually to provide interventions to increase postsecondary enrollment and success. These priority students were identified as disconnected students given the low college application and enrollment rates in target LEAs. In the second year of the project, GU-NC will begin to provide support services to GU-NC students during their first year of postsecondary education. 

**PR Award Number:**P334S120004

**Grantee:**Tennessee Higher Education Commission

**Director’s Name:**Wendy Tabor

**State:**Tennessee

**Year One Funding:**$4,227,183

**Telephone Number:** (615) 741-3605

**E-mail Address:**wendy.tabor@tn.gov

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) proposes the following state grant project for the 2011 Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs competition. The proposed project, entitled GEAR UP Tennessee (GEAR UP TN), uses experience-based knowledge and college access and success foundation to build on the successful 2005 state grant and advance Tennessee’s unique education reform efforts. 

Political and social will, experience, knowledge development, and renewed means place Tennessee in a position for innovation and progress across all levels of education. In 2010, Tennessee expressed its commitment to bettering the lives of its residents by passing the First to the Top Tennessee Act and the Complete College Tennessee Act. Coupled with a successful Race to the Top bid, such legislative action set an environment for statewide education reform and enabled adoption of the Common Core Standards, membership in the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), and development of the statewide longitudinal data system. 

THEC, the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE), the Governor’s Policy Office, the State Board of Education (SBOE), local education agencies (LEAs), the University of Tennessee system (UT), the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), and the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association (TICUA) work in unison to capitalize on the opportunities for educational progress made available through the new climate of reform. Through such partnerships, clear goals, measurable objectives, and aligned performance measures, the GEAR UP TN project is designed to supplement education reform efforts and fill Tennessee’s gaps and weaknesses in college access, readiness, and success-focused services. 

GEAR UP TN’s three goals strive to:  (1) Increase the academic performance and preparation for postsecondary education for GEAR UP students; (2) Increase the rate of high school graduation and enrollment in postsecondary education for GEAR UP students; and (3) Increase GEAR UP students’ and their families’ knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation, and financing.  GEAR UP TN increases cohort student outcomes to meet ambitious goals such as 85 percent high school graduation rate and 65 percent college-going rate.

GEAR UP TN expands statewide services such as the public outreach campaign and the state’s college and career exploration Web portal, CollegeforTN.org.  The project serves a cohort of 7,500 students beginning in the 7th grade, for a period of seven years – through the cohort’s first year of postsecondary education. GEAR UP TN also provides financial aid and college enrollment services to senior students in each year in direct-service high schools. GEAR UP TN uses a research-based collaborative model for direct-service implementation. 

**PR Award Number:**P334S120039

**Grantee:**Texas Education Agency

**Director’s Name:**Kristen Reynolds

**State:**Texas

**Year One Funding:**$5,000,000

**Telephone Number:**(512) 463-8254

**E-mail Address:**kristen.reynolds@tea.state.tx.us

For many of Texas’ historically underserved students and their families, the pathway to higher education presents a number of complex challenges. Texas GEAR UP is designed to provide intensive services and support for economically disadvantaged campuses in targeted areas, as well as resources for educators, students, parents and communities throughout the state. The project will ensure that students are aware of postsecondary options, graduate from high school academically prepared, complete the higher education and financial aid application process, and enroll in college with the informed support of their parents and communities. 

The Texas Education Agency will partner with The University of Texas at Austin; College Board; American Mathematical Society (AMS) Pictures; the Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (T-STEM) Initiative; and TG (formerly Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation) to implement project activities and successfully accomplish program objectives and reach performance targets. 

Texas GEAR UP builds upon the program’s statutory requirements and performance measures to address three major challenges in participating districts and statewide:  (1) a lack of coordinated information and resources for students and their families regarding postsecondary opportunities; (2) the need for increased academic preparation for college through strong, data-driven instruction and access to advanced academic courses; and (3) insufficient student and parent support services to ensure high school completion and informed postsecondary participation. Texas GEAR UP meets not only the goals of the GEAR UP program, but assures that students of Texas have the educational capabilities to bring themselves, and their future, out of poverty and into the economic mainstream.

**FY 2012 GEAR UP Partnership Abstracts**

**PR Award Number:**P334A120081

**Grantee:**Hennepin Technical College

**Director’s Name:**Lisa Larson

**State:**Minnesota

**Year One Funding:**$460,000

**Telephone Number:** (952) 995-1400

**E-mail Address:**lisa.larson@hennepintech.edu

Hennepin Technical College, the Brooklyn Center and Robbinsdale School Districts, and community partners WINGS Financial Bank, Topline Federal Credit Union, the Brooklyn Center Rotary, the North Hennepin Area and Twin West Chambers of Commerce, the New Hope Police Department, AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination), the Brooklyn Bridge Alliance-Champions for Youth, and the College Board propose to implement a comprehensive set of early-intervention services designed to:  *(1) Increase the academic performance and preparation for postsecondary education for GEAR UP students; (2) Increase the rate of high school graduation and enrollment in postsecondary education for GEAR UP students;, and (3) Increase GEAR UP students’ and their families’ knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation, and financing.*The project will promote systemic change through professional development for teachers, replicable teaching and learning improvements, and the establishment of sustainable partnerships. 

The project will serve a cohort of 575 students from the 7th grade through the first year of college at three partner schools:  Brooklyn Center High School (7th-12th); Robbinsdale Middle School (6th-8th); and Robbinsdale-Cooper High School (9th-12th). Students in the partner schools face significant obstacles to success; obstacles that research suggests place them at risk of educational failure. A majority of the students are low-income students of color attending schools in a state with one the largest achievement gaps in the nation. Standardized test scores at the schools are well below state and national averages and high school graduation rates lag behind as well. For those who do graduate from high school, a significant majority require remedial college coursework due to inadequate academic preparation. Furthermore, with the second highest student-to-counselor ratio in the nation and one of the highest costs of public postsecondary education, partner school students and their families do not have the opportunity to learn about their postsecondary education options and how to secure the necessary financial support. 

The project will provide all cohort students with intensive, comprehensive support services. Advisors and counselors will work with students to identify those needing services or who are behind in credits. They will also help identify students who are achieving at a high level and encourage them to enroll in more rigorous courses.  Professional, peer and volunteer tutors will provide students with academic support. Mentors will establish supportive relationships and encourage long-range postsecondary aspirations and planning. The Accuplacer computer adaptive placement test will not only identify students’ academic college readiness, it will also be used in conjunction with college preparation systems A+dvancer and My Foundations Lab to practice skills and improve in the individual identified areas of academic need.  Electronic Planning tools will help students set goals and design a plan to pursue and achieve those goals.

**PR Award Number:**P334S120169

**Grantee:**South Carolina State University

**Director’s Name:**Larrie Butler

**State:**South Carolina

**Year One Funding:**$507,520

**Telephone Number:**(803) 747-4801

**E-mail Address:**lbuter@scsu.edu

**Needs To Be Addressed:**T his GEAR UP Project will address the needs in the target area school districts of Allendale County and Orangeburg County Consolidated #3, South Carolina, ensuring that the children achieve academically and are prepared for and complete postsecondary education at the baccalaureate level.  With this, the needs to be addressed include:  increasing the number of students who meet South Carolina State Performance Standards; increasing the number of students who complete a college preparatory (rigorous) course of study; providing training for teachers to identify and implementing methods of instruction which maximize student achievement; increasing parental and community involvement; increasing the awareness of financial aid resources for college and financial literacy for daily living; and partnering with the school districts in the development of a rigorous curriculum that will meet the needs of all students while preparing them for successful college matriculation.

**Proposed Project Activities:**This GEAR UP Proposed Project will provide services to two cohorts –one of approximately three-hundred-sixty (**360) 6th grade**students and one of approximately three-hundred (**300) 7th grade**students in the Allendale-Fairfax, Elloree, and Holly Hill-Roberts Middle Schools.  These students will continue in GEAR UP through graduation from high school and the first year of postsecondary education.  Activities of this GEAR UP Project will include direct services to students including, tutoring, mentoring, counseling, enrichment instruction, workshops, field trips, college visitations, and college preparatory/financial aid sessions.  Staff development activities will be conducted to assist teachers and other school staff in identifying best practices in ensuring student achievement.   Parental involvement activities including workshops, school/classroom aides, etc., will be implemented, as well as activities to increase community involvement.  Activities of this GEAR UP project will be scheduled during both the academic years and in summer components.

**Anticipated Project Outcomes:**The anticipated outcomes of this GEAR UP project are that an increased number of students will graduate from high school “college ready” and enroll in college; and an increased number of parents will be equipped with the knowledge and tools to help their children successfully navigate the public school system and enroll in postsecondary education.  In addition, the communities will be joined in collective efforts with the schools in the education of students, and validated best practices in pedagogy with supplemental services to students will be adopted throughout the two target School Districts.

**List of Project Partners**

• South Carolina State University

• Allendale County School District

• Town of Allendale, South Carolina

• Orangeburg County Consolidated #3 School District

• Orangeburg-Calhoun-Allendale-Bamberg (OCAB) Community Action Agency

**PR Award Number:**P334S120084

**Grantee:**IDEA Public Schools

**Director’s Name:**Susanna Crafton

**State:**Texas

**Year One Funding:**$1,653,893

**Telephone Number:** (956) 377-8224

**E-mail Address:**susanna.crafton@ideapublicschools.org

***Project Goals and Objectives:***Increase student academic success in Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, and English; increase student and family participation in college prep/readiness activities and knowledge of financial aid options; maintain 100 percent high school graduation rate; increase test scores on American College Testing (ACT) exam; increase rate of student acceptance to colleges (including “selective” and “highly selective” colleges); decrease need for postsecondary remediation.

***Number of Students to be Served:***2,070 students in a 6/7 cohort

***Target school(s):***Ten secondary schools in the Integrated Design Electronics Academy (IDEA) charter school district, IDEA College Prep Alamo, Donna, Edinburg, Frontier (Brownsville), Mission, Quest (McAllen/Edinburg), San Benito, San Juan, and Weslaco.

***Project Partners:***University of Texas-Brownsville, Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID), Sylvan Learning, and Copia Consulting

***Activities and Services:***Road to College curriculum, monthly/quarterly parent workshops, family finance and tax workshops, college visits, rigorous academic coursework (Pre-AP, AP, IB), AVID, summer academic programs and college-based learning experiences for students, field lessons, PLAN/EXPLORE/ReadiStep/Collaborative Organizational Model to Promote Aligned Support Structures (COMPASS)/Preliminary Scholastic Assessment (PSAT), Student Achievement Test ( SAT), American College Testing (ACT) prep, (Sylvan Learning), college and career explorations, college counseling teams, dual-credit coursework, college application assistance, financial aid, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), tax filing workshops for parents, alumni database (high school and college student data tracking system), city-based and regional/national support for students in college.

**PR Award Number:**P334S120039

**Grantee:**Utah State University

**Director’s Name:**Yolanda Niemann

**State:**Utah

**Year One Funding:**$2,234,400

**Telephone Number:**(435) 797-1449

**E-mail Address:**yolanda.fniemann@usu.edu

The State of Utah’s rural communities and schools are being transformed ethnically, educationally, and culturally by an influx of Mexican-Immigrant and domestic Hispanic families, and by the growing numbers of tribal families and students in the largest U.S. tribal community in land mass, The Ute Indian Tribe.  Schools experience challenges related to suicide, gang membership, identity, migration, race/gender stereotyping, poverty, language, attendance, and cultural preparation of teachers, all related to student achievement outcomes.  These changes are compounding long-existing challenges in rural areas of the state with historically lower socioeconomic status families of all races and ethnicities. These families have a strong, agricultural and manufacturing-based work ethic, but low educational attainment levels.  Many of the parents have not graduated from high school nor attended college, and the current college enrollment rate is as low at five percent in some of our target schools.  The once homogenous, white, conservative, patriarchal, single religion and educated state has experienced a transformation over the last two decades, bringing unprecedented challenges to school systems. 

In response to these changing dynamics, seven rural school districts, three charter schools, the Ute Indian Tribe, Utah State University, and four community/ business organizations created a partnership to address the needs of these low-income and at-risk students in small rural communities in northern Utah.  The **STARS! GEAR UP Partnership**will increase the number of students graduating high school, prepared for and succeed in postsecondary education.  The Strategic Partners are:  (**1) Higher Education Institutions:**The Utah State University (USU); (**2) School Districts:**Tooele, Elko, Uintah, Logan, Davis, South Sanpete, North Sanpete; (**3)**Charter Schools:  American Preparatory Academy, American Preparatory Academy – New Americans, Dual Immersion Academy; (**4) Community Organizations:**Rocky Mountain National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Consortium, Space Dynamics Laboratory, Texas Instruments and SureScore. 

The ***STARS!*GEAR UP**will serve **2,793**students from middle school graduation into their first year in college. The ***STARS!*GEAR UP**Partners selected evidence-based programs that respond to the needs of the target students.  Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) will be the program’s foundation, working in collaboration with partners to provide classroom, after school, and summer tutoring programs to enhance academic achievement.  Texas Instruments’ MathForward Program, which employs cutting edge technology, will improve student’s math skills and advance teachers’ math pedagogy. USU’s nationally ranked College of Education, the Space Dynamics Lab, and the NASA Rocky Mountain Consortium will provide comprehensive professional development and mentoring for teachers, and hands-on science and math instruction to students.  College readiness activities will be provided by SureScore and the USU Access and Diversity Center.

###