GEAR UP for college, BG-style
The United States’ shaky education system is a timely, hot-button issue, yes. But rather than sit and stew over the innumerable cracks in the system, it’s refreshing to highlight the gems that pop up in schools that need the most help.
The Washington Post ran an article recently about how college mentorship programs significantly increase the collegiate success of children of immigrants, noting the importance of guidance through a bumpy, often confusing path toward a college degree.
The article follows a few eighth graders–the children of Latino immigrants, none of whom attended college–who recently took campus tours of Pennsylvania State University and Gettysburg College led by GEAR UP, a federally-funded college mentorship program. Providing more than $300 million per year for schools to run college-prep programs starting as early as middle school, the U.S. Department of Education reports that since 1999, GEAR UP has mentored more than 10 million students, 60 percent of whom have attended college. And… GEAR UP is a snazzy acronym, most likely penned by a college graduate: Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. I dig acronyms.
This program is exemplary of the type of action needed to light a fire under this country’s educational behind. BetterGrads sprung from a Bay Area brainstorming session about meeting this same, ever-present need: preparing youth for the future. However, the article toting GEAR UP’s perks takes a sober look at the fragility of “enrichment” type academic programs, noting that they can disappear as quickly as they appear. One of the prime school districts highlighted in the article no longer sponsors GEAR UP programs, probably due to internal systematic issues within the education system. Carefully sidestepping a PBS-esque “viewers like you” PSA, I will candidly say that the only way educational enrichment programs can survive is if they receive community support.
Thankfully, social media savvy allows for online community support. If you’re not already following us on Twitter, then we can’t tweet you a shoutout, yo.
Do you know of other educational nonprofits emerging in the educational wake-up-atmosphere? If you’re a Bay Area high schooler, keep an eye out for a BetterGrads presentation on your campus. High school students elsewhere? Drop us a line, and we’d be happy to look into possibly visiting your school.
