A Comprehensive Partnership Approach Increasing High School Graduation Rates and College Enrollment of Urban Economically Disadvantaged Youth

Abstract

Described is a 4-year model of a Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP) offered to 294 academically and economically disadvantaged students and their parents during in-and outof-school time activities through partnerships forged with school personnel and community-based agencies. In an urban high school where the annual graduation rate was below 60%, the graduation rate of the GEAR UP students of whom 60% were Hispanic and African American was 95%, while 58% enrolled in a postsecondary institution soon after graduation. Regardless of the time spent in three participatory conditions in the out-of-school time activities, 12th graders commonly believed that the program significantly helped them complete high school, prepared them for college, and showed them that adults cared about their future. A five-item survey completed by parents also revealed a number of highly significant findings. Quantitative, focus group, and interview findings corroborated and supported each other.

A Systematic Approach to Exploring College and Career Readiness Program Needs Within High-Poverty Urban Public Schools

“…Believing in higher education yet realizing the high costs associated with it are sources of significant worry for parents in high-poverty schools. The higher mean scores for program core needs perceived by parents are commensurate with literature (Ellis & Geller, 2016; Granger & Noguera, 2015; Morgan et al, 2015).…”

“…Moreover, as the majority of programs were rated as high need, this can be explained by the high capital needs of both urban students and parents. Regardless, a heightened awareness of best practices is needed for students in high-poverty urban settings and essential for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of school counseling programming (Morgan, Sinatra, & Eschenauer, 2015).…”

Promoting Educational Success: Which GEAR UP Services Lead to Postsecondary Enrollment and Persistence?

“…These findings expand and improve upon existing studies that explored the link between specific GEAR UP components. Prior research showed that GEAR UP academic activities were generally associated with improved academic outcomes in high school (Kennedy, 2016; Morgan et al, 2015; Yampolskaya et al, 2006). The present study yields additional insights by distinguishing among specific academic (and other) services and identifying the differential relationships across types.…”

“…A few studies have examined how participation in services within GEAR UP predicts secondary school outcomes. Using a mixed methods approach, Morgan, Sinatra, and Eschenauer (2015) found that academic support services (e.g., academic advisement, test preparation, during and after school tutoring, college and career readiness, and parent services) had stronger relationships with students’ SAT scores and high school graduation rates than did community support services (e.g., college tours and fairs, educational field trips, financial aid workshops). However, when students were asked what they perceived to be the most influential programmatic component, their most common response was college tours and fairs, followed by tutoring and test preparation, then financial aid workshops, academic advising, and parent workshops.…”

Improving College Access at Low-Income High Schools? The Impact of GEAR UP Iowa on Postsecondary Enrollment and Persistence

“…Another significant distinction is that GEAR UP requires collaborative partnerships among states, a local educational agency, local universities, middle and high schools, and community organizations. GEAR UP seeks to elevate students' and parents' awareness of college, their college aspirations, and their preparedness for college by providing holistic and comprehensive services (Cabrera et al, 2006;Morgan, Sinatra, & Eschenauer, 2015;Ward, 2006;Ward et al, 2013;Yampolskaya, Massey, & Greenbaum, 2006). GEAR UP consists of a 6-or 7-year grant awarded to universityschool-community partnerships to provide support services to high-poverty school districts.…”