GEAR UP stands for “Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs” and is a national initiative whose mission is to significantly increase the number of students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. GEAR UP is funded through competitive six-year matching grants from the U.S. Department of Education. As an early intervention college access program, GEAR UP grantees serve an entire cohort of students beginning no later than the seventh grade and follow the cohort through high school.
GEAR UP’s goals are to:
To achieve these goals, GEAR UP provides a variety of interventions to students and their families including college visits, summer programs, career exploration, mentoring, job shadowing, tutoring, college advising, and financial aid workshops. In addition, professional development is offered to school and district staff to share best practices and to assist with the creation and strengthening of a college access culture in the target schools and the community.
GEAR UP North Carolina and College Access in the News
Dr. Frost Named 2012 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year
The NC Association of School Administrators (NCASA) and the NC School Boards Association (NCSBA) awarded Asheboro City Schools’ Superintendent Dr. Diane Frost as the 2012 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year. As Superintendent since 2000, Dr. Frost currently serves 4,700 students across 8 schools, two of which, North Asheboro Middle School and Asheboro High School, are part of the state GEAR UP North Carolina program. Dr. Frost has successfully implemented measures leading to a narrowed achievement gap, record high graduation rate, and increased college-going rate. The entire GEAR UP North Carolina community salutes Dr. Frost for her undeniable commitment to her students and the positive impact of her effective leadership on student outcomes and success. Additionally, Dr. Frost has been selected from out of 49 candidates as one of four finalists in the 2012 National Superintendent of the Year program for her collaborative leadership style, creativity, and fierce determination to produce globally competitive students through the course of multiple strategic planning processes, which have unified the community around setting high expectations for all students and providing the tools needed to accomplish this goal. The National Superintendent of the Year winner will be announced at the National Conference on Education in February.
GEAR UP North Carolina is a federally grant program (P334S050004) and statewide partnership administered by University of North Carolina General Administration. Visit the national GEAR UP program for more information.
Check out the Spring 2012 GEAR UP Student Newsletter 'The Peak'.
Highlights include student stories, sustainability initiatives, and partner voices.
Click here to download.
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GEAR UP North Carolina provides summer enrichment programming at various four-year universities each summer for students in selected grades at GEAR UP high schools. All opportunities are residential, offered for one week, and are career-focused academic programs. Programs offered during the summer of 2012 are for rising 11th and 12th graders at GEAR UP high schools.
Click here to download the 2012 Summer Enrichment Guide or the summer forms for ECU, UNCW or NCSU Shelton Challenge.
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Looking to see when is the final date to apply to one of the North Carolina's colleges or universities?
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