2021 – 2028 GEAR UP Partnership
The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Education, is a partnership with Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) and four community organizations: Communities in Schools, Florida State College at Jacksonville, I am Star Foundation, and the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ×ÊÁÏ’s SOAR School Counseling M.Ed. program. The SOAR program was awarded $1.6 M to help DCPS students from low-income backgrounds navigate the journey from grade seven (7) to undergraduate programs. This 2021 – 2027 GEAR UP grant is the sixth award for the SOAR program since 1999 and builds upon the rich legacy of collaboration between ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ×ÊÁÏ COEHS and DCPS to increase college access and success for local students while nurturing the leadership talent of future educators.
The ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ×ÊÁÏ-SOAR branch of the GEAR UP partnership serves a cohort of 750 middle school students across 10 local schools through early intervention programs, including early career exploration, career fairs, individual and small group mentoring, a career representative speaker series and youth leadership development for participating DCPS and ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ×ÊÁÏ students. This new award is expected to continue yielding demonstrable gains on education outcomes among participating middle school students such as passing challenging pre-algebra classes, improving average daily attendance and parental engagement, and setting aspirations for post-secondary options.
To learn about paid mentoring opportunities as a College-Career Navigator (CCN), .
To learn about the SOAR program, .
For more information, email us at SchoolCounseling@unf.edu or for an online meeting.