The GEAR UP: Ready, Set, College! partnership is a federal grant funded program by the U.S. Department of Education.  Funded in September of 2011 in the amount of $6.9 million dollars per year for a total of seven years, Region One ESC GEAR UP serves approximately 10,500 cohort students in 44 middle schools at 27 regional school districts arrayed along the U.S.-Mexico border from Laredo to Brownsville, Texas.  It consists of a partnership between local public school districts, institutes of higher education, and businesses/organizations that help students and their families toward college and career readiness.  Students are currently engaged in eighth grade activities and services for the 2012-2013 school year in regional middle schools.   

GEAR UP: Ready, Set, College! is organized into five program objectives.  These objectives are then supported by delineated activities and initiatives. 

• Objective 1:  Increase the academic performance and preparation for postsecondary education for GEAR UP students.
   
• Objective 2:  Increase the rate of high school graduation and participation in postsecondary  education for GEAR UP students through a systemic transformation of continuous improvement. 

   
• Objective 3:  Increase GEAR UP students’ and their families’ knowledge and awareness of postsecondary education, financing options and preparation.
   
• Objective 4:  Increase GEAR UP students' access to advanced academic programs, technology applications and distance learning networks through a STEM initiative.

   
• Objective 5:  Increase the leadership capacity of administrators and community stakeholders to sustain a college awareness organizational structure of continuous learning.

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