West Virginia GEAR UP Program Launches in Ten Counties!
Students in ten West Virginia counties will have extra help preparing for college and career training, thanks to an $18 million federal grant. The money will fund West Virginia GEAR UP, a six-year program aimed at “gaining early awareness and readiness for undergraduate programs.”
Simply put, the program helps students plan, apply and pay for training beyond high school.
“If students in West Virginia are to forge ahead in today’s global economy, we must provide them with the tools they need to succeed in this ever-changing environment,” U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd said. “I am living proof of the power of a first-rate education, and the opportunities for a better future it can provide. GEAR UP enables our students to have the skills and confidence that will pave their way to post-secondary education—which is vital in today’s economy.”
The program stresses the importance of earning a two or four-year degree after high school, and provides students with resources to help them obtain those degrees. Eleventh and 12th grade students can participate in college tours, college entrance exam workshops and financial aid workshops, and earn $200 or more for college expenses.
“One of the great things about GEAR UP is that it focuses not only on our kids, but also on students’ support networks,” Dr. Adam Green, director for the program, said. “We work with families to show them that degree programs are available and affordable. And it provides extra training for teachers, so they can better serve students in the classroom.”
The class of 2014 will get even more help from WV GEAR UP. The program’s ultimate goal is to build a sustainable education program that can be implemented statewide. This year’s seventh graders will act as a study group, used to determine what services are effective at increasing high school and college graduation rates. Students in that class will receive GEAR UP services every year, from now through their graduation. The WV GEAR UP grant will also fund technology for every grade level the class enters, which will provide additional learning tools for students following the class of 2014.
WV GEAR UP will serve more than 13,000 students in Boone, Clay, Lincoln, McDowell, Mingo, Roane, Summers, Webster, Wirt and Wyoming counties over the next six years. The program is housed under The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC). HEPC is the coordinating body for the state’s four-year public colleges and universities. The commission is responsible for developing, establishing and overseeing the implementation of a public policy agenda for the institutions.
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