Eastern Oklahoma State College’s GEAR UP program hosted its annual partnership meeting for area school superintendents, principals, counselors, and lead teachers. More than 46 school representatives met to learn about the current services EOSC GEAR UP is providing to area schools.
Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is a federal initiative to increase the number of low-income students who enter and successfully transition into postsecondary education. In 2017, Eastern received $17,091,200 to help serve students in partner schools throughout seven years.
The GEAR UP Team discussed what GEAR UP has been doing to help students and partner schools this academic year, which includes providing access to online tutoring to students through Tutor.com 24 hours a day, seven days a week; the opportunity for GEAR UP concurrent students to participate in receiving up to $300 to go toward concurrent fees; college tours; and other student events.
For every dollar the US Department of Education provides to the grantees, the grantee must match that amount of money through In-Kind time and services, such as lesson planning, academic enrichment, tutoring and mentoring, parent meetings, and community service activities.
The GEAR UP—Ignite Belief program is serving current 11th and 12th-grade students and will continue throughout high school graduation and college admission. The grant currently serves 31 partner schools in nine counties, including Antlers; Atoka; Bokoshe; Buffalo Valley; Cameron; Canadian; Clayton; Coalgate; Crowder; Eufaula; Haileyville; Hartshorne; Howe; Indianola; Keota; LeFlore; McAlester; McCurtain; Moyers; Panama; Pittsburg; Porum; Poteau; Quinton; Rattan; Savanna; Spiro; Stringtown; Talihina; Whitesboro; Wilburton and Wister.