U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced the award of $ 177.4 million for 66 grants under Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) that will help some 275,000 at-risk students to prepare for college and receive the support they need to achieve success in postsecondary education.
"We know innovative programs like GEAR UP that intervene early can make all the difference in whether young people go to college," Duncan said. "These grants provide the mentoring, support, and financial aid that will give thousands of students a greater opportunity to achieve success in postsecondary education."
Two types of grants are being awarded: $77.3 million for 19 state grants: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Another $100.1 million is being awarded for 47 partnership grants in 24 states.
Both state and partnership grants are competitive six or seven-year matching grant programs that target entire grades of students, partner with local organizations and businesses, and include matching local contributions and in-kind services. Grantees serve an entire group of students, usually beginning no later than seventh grade, and follow them throughout high school.
This year, for the first time in any Department of Education grant program, applicants were encouraged to include a college savings program as one of their strategies. Research from the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis indicates that students with savings accounts are up to six times more likely to enroll in college, even controlling for household income and student grades. Forty-two of the winning grantees—both state and partnership grants—plan to provide college savings accounts for their students, along with financial and economic literacy activities.
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