For many, summer brings vacations and recreation, but there’s no time to relax for GEAR UP and all our partners with concerns of college readiness, summer melt, and career exploration.
From middle school to high school graduates, Arizona GEAR UP has packed the summer with initiatives to address access and educational equity.
Planning for Year 3 of Arizona GEAR UP 2019-26: The Five E’s of Equity is in full swing for middle school services. Our middle grades team met with educators in May to firm up programs for the upcoming school year. Additionally, AZGU produced a new middle-grade brochure to promote professional development opportunities and student services. Printed copies are available from the GEAR UP office. Additionally, 10 of the 15 middle schools that feed into our 5E High Schools have now signed up to use the Discover and Parent Guides as part of class studies. These powerful career and college exploration guides help students not only see how their interests, passions, and abilities can lead to a purposeful career, but the guide provides steps on how to get there.
Plans charge ahead in high school, too. Students in ninth through eleventh grades in our 5E Schools get the opportunity to attend the Summer Leadership and Technology Camp June 7 – 11. High school graduates (and seniors a few credits shy of graduation) in these schools will receive support this summer through TextGU. GEAR UP Coaches and staff want to make sure summer melt doesn’t affect fall college plans, so they’ll help with placement tests, FAFSA, and college orientations—all on this convenient texting platform.
Since COVID-19 has greatly impacted postsecondary plans for students who graduated in 2020, Arizona GEAR UP has partnered with the Helios Education Foundation and College Success Arizona to promote the Adelante Scholarship. As long as these students fill out the FAFSA and plan to enroll in college, they’re eligible to apply. Partners will also help students fill out the FAFSA as part of the process. Additionally, Arizona GEAR UP will help these graduates throughout the summer through the TextGu platform, and we’ll partner with AzCAN and Benji to provide additional FAFSA resources.
Lastly, if you haven’t seen the latest Arizona GEAR UP video, you can check it out here.