On May 25, Arizona GEAR UP’s Middle Grade Program Manager Ann Connelly hosted the 5E Feeder Middle School Year 3 Planning meeting.
Representatives from 15 schools joined the virtual meeting to discuss the upcoming school year plans and services available to schools. The meeting began with a presentation highlighting the positive impact a college-going culture has on students and how to build a positive culture within a school.
Ann was joined by several GEAR UP project partners that shared what services they had to offer our middle-grade schools. Through Arizona GEAR UP, the following services are available to our 5E Middle Schools.
K-12 Center Math Institute (K12) – Donnie Dicus
The K-12 Center Math Institute works with middle-grade teachers to build an effective curriculum to help students excel in math.
Career & College Clubs (CCC) – Kelly Pappas
The Career & College Clubs was created by the National Council for Community and Educational Partnerships (NCCEP) to help students explore postsecondary options. The program uses activities and peer-mentoring to prepare students for college, career, and beyond.
Arizona Business and Education Coalition (ABEC) – Deborah Raeder
ABEC works with community businesses and educational organizations to provide students with career exploration opportunities. Students work on hands-on projects and activities led by experts in the field.
Arizona Pathways to Prosperity (APTP) – Cindy Erwin
Sponsored by the Center for the Future of Arizona, APTP focuses on career literacy by providing a curriculum to help middle-grade students to develop a college and career-ready identity.
Arizona GEAR UP Discover Guide/Parent Guide and College Access Professionals Online Course – Ann Connelly
The Discover and Parent Guide complement each other to help support students and parents throughout their journey through the middle grades. They provide resources and activities to help keep students on track and explore postsecondary options.
Participants went through 15-minute rotating sessions where they learned about each service. The presentations included a summary of the service as well as examples and implantations of the program. Arizona GEAR UP 5E Feeder schools can choose as many services as they want to include in their Year 3 curriculum. The focus of the meeting was to encourage using the services as they help promote a college-going culture within schools. In addition, these programs help families to get a head start on postsecondary plans by providing resources to both students and parents.