BACKGROUND INTRODUCTION

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BACKGROUND / INTRODUCTION NORTHERN AZ UNIVERSITY
GEAR UP PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
EVALUATION SUCCESSES LESSONS LEARNED
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BACKGROUND
U.S. Dept. of Education Grant Program National
Initiative - 1999 Gaining Early Awareness and
Readiness for Undergraduate Programs
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BACKGROUND
MISSION To significantly increase the number of
economically disadvantaged students who are
prepared to succeed beyond high school.
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BACKGROUND
WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT GEAR UP? Connects Higher Ed
with High-Poverty Schools Based on Research
Proven Models Allows Local Flexibility /
Leverages Local Resources Emphasis on Evaluation
Outcomes Builds on Partnerships
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BACKGROUND

• NATIONAL INITIATIVE

Equal Access to Education Reach Students Early /
Stay With Them High Expectations Multiple,
Overlapping Strategies

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BACKGROUND
NATIONAL INITIATIVE (Contd)
Access to Rigorous, Relevant Courses Well-Prepared
Teachers Parental Involvement
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BACKGROUND
SCOPE STRUCTURE Two Grant Types Six-Year
Projects 47 States 4 Territories 2.3m
Students Arizona
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NORTHERN AZ UNIVERSITY GEAR UP
In 2000, NAU was awarded two six-year GEAR UP
grants (Federal 11 Match 43 million) began
working in partnership with 11 schools (named in
original grants) to provide services to nearly
4,000 7th graders


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NORTHERN AZ UNIVERSITY GEAR UP
Site Teams / Coordinators monitor student
grades, attendance, course enrollment carry out
annual work plan track, document, report services
and financial activity to State Office
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NORTHERN AZ UNIVERSITY GEAR UP
NAU College of Education Phoenix GEAR UP
Office Leadership / Planning Grant
administration Site support assistance NAU
College of Education Flagstaff Mountain
Campus Executive Oversight Program
evaluation Database support
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NORTHERN AZ UNIVERSITY GEAR UP
Vision Values
We are dedicated to student success. We work as a
Team. We each do all we can. We learn, change and
improve. We focus on results. We work with
integrity. We make schools better!

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NORTHERN AZ UNIVERSITY GEAR UP
Project Operations
Grant Objectives (3) NAU District
Subcontracts Monitoring / CIMS Evaluation /
Federal Reporting

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NORTHERN AZ UNIVERSITY GEAR UP
NAU GEAR UP partners include AZ Commission for
Postsecondary Education AZ Community Foundation
AZ Diamondbacks AZ Quest For Kids Boeing
Corporation Maricopa County Community College
District Phoenix Firefighters - School House
Foundation Rodel Foundation Sallie Mae
The NY Times
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NORTHERN AZ UNIVERSITY GEAR UP
Students 35 - 100 Free Reduced Lunch 65
Minority (primarily Hispanic and Native
American) 18 English Language Learners 9
Individualized Education Plans 88 juniors in
2004-05 (82 graduates this year)
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IMPLEMENTATION EVALUATION
Project Evaluation guided by annual analyses of
15 performance-based objectives,
including Improved standardized test
scores Increased enrollment in college prep.
courses Decreased drop-out rate Increased parent
knowledge of college access financial aid
information
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IMPLEMENTATION EVALUATION
Tutoring / Mentoring
Job Shadowing
Parental Involvement
Community Service
Cultural Events
Summer Enrichment
College Visits
Financial Aid Workshops
Scholarships
Attendance Monitoring Intervention
Personal Academic Counseling
AIMS Preparation Workshops
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IMPLEMENTATION EVALUATION
Site Plans The Tie that Binds
Strategic Data-Driven Decisions Delivery of
Services to Meet Identified Goals Measurable

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IMPLEMENTATION EVALUATION
GEAR UP Data
Purposes served (APR, External Evaluation,
CIMS) Types Collection Reports Analyses
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IMPLEMENTATION EVALUATION
2004-05 Evaluation shows that GEAR UP students
are more likely to
Receive More Academic Services
Stay in School
Feel Connected
Score Better on SAT 9
Meet AIMS Standards (as Sophomores)
Plan and Prepare for Future
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SUCCESSES LESSONS LEARNED
SITE COORDINATORS
LESSONS LEARNED PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY
Two masters Multiple districts
Isolation
SUCCESSES ADVOCATE ROLE Transitional
support Consistency Trust belief
(relationship)
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SUCCESSES LESSONS LEARNED
DATA COLLECTION
SUCCESSES Right Data Academic
GEAR UP participation Student-level
longitudinal Centralized
LESSONS LEARNED Effective Use of Technology
Key, scan or upload? Maximize
efficiency Minimize error
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Questions?