October 01, 2014

State System receives GEAR UP grant to assist students in Allentown, Harrisburg and Philadelphia school districts prepare for college

Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu

Harrisburg – Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education has been awarded a third Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant through the U.S. Department of Education to support a comprehensive effort designed to better prepare students in three urban school districts for college and to help ensure their success.

The grant will include $3.4 million in the first year to provide academic tutoring services for students and professional development opportunities for teachers to help increase student achievement in the Allentown, Harrisburg and Philadelphia school districts. It also will provide a variety of services to help develop a college-going culture within the participating schools and to help prepare students for admission to college and to succeed once they arrive on campus.
In total, the State System will receive up to $23.7 million over the next seven years to fund the initiative. Matching funds from a variety of private supporters will double the amount available for the continuing effort, which will assist up to nearly 2,800 students in the three districts.
Through a “collective impact” model, business partners involved in the program will provide mentoring, job shadowing and internships while introducing students to various professions and the educational requirements to enter these professions.
The latest GEAR UP grant to the State System is one of 41 awards worth a total of $82 million in the first year recently announced by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. This round of grants will help approximately 116,000 at-risk students across the nation to prepare for college and receive the support they need to achieve success in postsecondary education.
This is the third GEAR UP grant received by the State System. The first was awarded in 2002; the second, in 2008.
“We are excited about the opportunity for our universities to work with students and teachers in these schools,” said State System Executive Vice Chancellor Peter H. Garland. “By starting to work with students and their families even before they reach high school, we can help them not only become better prepared for college, but also help ensure their success once they get there.”

Specific objectives of the program are to:
•Increase student achievement and preparation for postsecondary education by: implementing evidence-based instructional strategies; using data to identify gaps in instruction; increasing the number of students who take rigorous courses; and providing academic support.
•Develop a “college-going culture” by increasing the graduation rate and preparation for postsecondary education by helping students: explore careers and requirements; understand college entrance requirements; comprehend financial literacy as well as financial aid options; identify the best college fit; and increase non-cognitive skills.
•Increase parental knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation, and financing by having them understand: the need for students to take rigorous courses; college entrance requirements; financial aid options; financial literacy; and how to identify the best college fit.
•Increase enrollment and first-year-to-second-year persistence in postsecondary education.
The program will assist students and their families directly by providing $1.3 million in state-sponsored scholarships and up to nearly $28 million in private scholarships.
It will use a “collective impact” model to establish a shared community vision to create a college-going culture in the target schools. It also will implement early warning data systems to identify students at risk for dropping out and coordinate school- and community-based intervention services.
Students in the participating schools will be provided academic advising and tutoring support, career exploration and opportunities to develop non-cognitive skills. By increasing student achievement, the program is intended to reduce the need for students to take remedial courses in college.
The program also will provide a variety of workshops and counseling sessions to increase student and parental knowledge about college options, admissions requirements and financial aid and assistance.
The Pennsylvania Treasury, Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union and the SAGE Consortium of Private Colleges will also be involved in the effort. Also participating as community partners will be Pennsylvania Power & Light, Da Vinci Science Center, The Hershey Co., Mackin Engineering Co., Trizen, Inc., and United Way.
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with about 110,000 students. The 14 State System universities offer degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study.
The universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The universities also operates branch campuses in Oil City (Clarion), Freeport and Punxsutawney (IUP) and Clearfield (Lock Haven), and offer classes and programs at several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and in Center City in Philadelphia.