$21 Million College Readiness Grant to Follow 4,000 Area Students for Seven Years

WACO, Texas - In the 12 area counties making up Central Texas, 41.3 percent of the working age population do not have a high school diploma, and only 14.7 percent of the labor force have bachelor’s degrees or higher. These statistics and the goal to help prepare students for college are two of the factors leading to ESC Region 12 receiving a $21 million college readiness grant that begins this year.

The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant from the US department of Education seeks to raise students’ grades, motivate them to take more challenging courses, increase graduation rates, and encourage them to pursue college or vocational school after graduation. The grant will create 16 new jobs in the region to oversee activities.

GEAR UP is unique from many grants because it isn’t a one year/one time program and will provide $3 million per year over a seven year period. The GEAR UP College Learning Network Link (College Link) will serve and follow a cohort of 6,000 6th and 7th-grade students from middle school through the students’ first year in college. During the seven years, students will take rigorous coursework, receive academic tutoring and counseling, college/career and financial aid counseling, college presentations and leadership development training. College Link will also inform parents about the process and importance of going to college, steps involved for college testing and the financial aid process. Fostering a community where everyone is working towards the common goal of getting their students into college is part of the goal for College Link.

“This grant will help our students and their families learn more about how to prepare for furthering their education. It will also help our staff be more cognizant of how to provide awareness and guidance to our students and their parents,” Frances Penland, superintendent for Connally ISD, said.

“Improving college readiness in our region is a top priority for our center. We are thrilled to help make this happen and truly believe it will have a huge impact on the number of students going to and succeeding in post-secondary education,” Dr. Jerry Maze, executive director for ESC Region 12, said.

In order for schools to be eligible for this grant, half of all students had to qualify for free and reduced lunches, a measure of family income. However, the entire class will benefit from the college readiness program.

A total of 22 area school districts in 10 counties will participate in the program. Participating districts are: Blum, Bynum, Clifton, Corsicana, Connally, Covington, Groesbeck, Hillsboro, Hubbard, Kerens, Killeen, Kopperl, Lampasas, Lometa, Mexia, Moody, Oglesby, Rosebud-Lott, Temple, Star, Whitney and Walnut Springs ISD.

ESC Region 12 is partnering with a number of organizations to implement the program and provide community outreach. Partners are: Abriendo Puertas Parental Communication Initiative (Texas A&M), Central Texas College, The College Board, EGT Institute Inc., Hill College, KWTX, Lampasas County High Ed. Cent., Navarro College, REVOLUTION K12, VOICE Inc., SureScore, Inc. and Texas Instruments).

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About ESC Region 12
One of 20 regional education service centers statewide, Education Service Center (ESC) Region 12 is dedicated to serving school districts, charter schools and area private/parochial schools in improving student performance. ESC Region 12 partners with school districts to deliver services and solutions to educators so they may help all children be successful.

Based in Waco, with satellite offices in Corsicana, Hamilton, Nolanville and Teague, ESC Region 12’s service area includes Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Freestone, Hamilton, Hill, Lampasas, Limestone, McLennan, Mills and Navarro Counties.