Outreach Programs

The GEARUP Challenge
To increase the number of low-income students going to college, the U.S. Department of Education has funded an initiative called GEARUP. This stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. As the name implies, the goal of GEARUP is to encourage and prepare young people to succeed in high school and post-secondary education.

DePaul's Role
The initiative is implemented by the Chicago GEARUP Alliance, a partnership of five universities, a community college, a community organization, Chicago Public Schools and numerous other agencies. The Alliance currently serves some 13,000 students in the fifth through 10th grades in 45 elementary and secondary schools. Unlike other college-bound programs, GEARUP serves all students in the elementary grades and follows these cohorts to their respective high schools.

Operationally, DePaul University heads a network of schools that includes: Piccolo Specialty School, Orr Community Academy, Westinghouse Career Academy, Phoenix Academy, Madero Middle School, Farragut Career Academy, and Curie Metropolitan Academy. The DePaul Learning Network as it is known, works with students, their families, their schools, and the community to create "Kids at Hope Communities".

The program provides services to bolster students' academic and college preparation by providing:

• tutoring and academic enrichment activities
• mentors, counseling, team-building and leadership training
• career development and college readiness activities
• college visits and scholarship opportunities

The program also offers services to parents designed to increase their involvement in their child's education, such as:

• parent leadership meetings
• workshops and conferences on school and college issues as well as family issues
• ESL and computer training
• family cultural enrichment activities

To institutionalize change, the program assists schools improve instruction by:

• offering teacher training opportunities (institutes, forums, conferences, workshops)
• forming vertical language arts and math curriculum teams with middle school and high school teachers
• organizing vertical teams to address issues of adolescence, career development and transition
• providing instructional resources

For more information about GEARUP, call 773-325-4712 or visit the Chicago GEARUP Alliance's website at www.gearupchicago.org.

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