LSU GEAR UP at the forefront

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LSU GEAR UP at the forefront

• Using Hip-Hop to Increase GEAR UP Students
  Knowledge of College Access, Acceptance,
  Enrollment and Excellence

By Letrez A. Myer, M.A., Tamatha Brown, James
C. Milligan
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Agenda

• GEAR UP Goal Alignment
• Demographic of Students
• Constructing the Lessons
• Making it Fun
• Presentation Partnership
• Surveys Incentives
• Benefits
• Showcasing Talents
• See it in Action Lesson Plan Video
• Questions Answers

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GEAR UP goal alignment

• Increase GEAR UP students and their families
  knowledge of postsecondary education options,
  preparation and financing
• LSU GEAR UP Specific Objectives
• Increase knowledge of GU students and families
  about
• Cost of Louisiana postsecondary institutions
• Requirements to enter Louisiana postsecondary
  institutions
• Financial aid available for Louisiana
  postsecondary institutions

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Student demographics

• 8th and 9th grade students
• Age range 14 16 years old
• Large population of student body in GEAR UP
  cohort
• Urban area schools
• Baker High
• Belaire High
• Robert E. Lee High
• Scotlandville High
• Students expressed interest in presentation style

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Constructing the lessons

• Assess goals
• What is the desired end result?
• What information is needed to meet the goal?
• Gathering Materials
• Websites
• Brochures
• Guidance Counselors
• Colleges/Universities/Community Colleges
• Fact Finding
• Cannot include everything
• MUST include information that meets your goal
• Preparing the Presentation
• Powerpoint presentation with necessary
  information
• One page handouts
• Condense for students

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One pagers
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Making it fun

• Students not interested in PowerPoint
• Created themes
• Used partnership with YWCA
• Parent liaison also a mentor and motivational
  speaker
• Able to put into an interesting format
• i.e., basketball
• Sweet 16
• Three-pointer
• Fast Break
• Created one pagers
• Condensed information for students
• Set information to music
• Students expressed interest in raps after pilot
  presentation
• Wrote lyrics and composed beats

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Presentation partnership

• Needed to reach 40 of students
• Chose schools that had high concentration of GEAR
  UP cohort
• Baker, Belaire, Lee and Scotlandville
• Population Approximately 850 of the 1400 student
  cohort
• Needed to use the school day
• Meetingwith principals and 9th grade Academy
  Coordinators
• Four days (Mon-Thurs) to accomplish three lessons
• Agreed not to interrupt major courses
• English, Math, Science and Social Studies
• Some principals utilized English classes
• All students required to take Education for
  Careers Course
• Utilized this course aligned with course goals
• Approximately 45-50 minutes

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Surveys incentives

• Surveys
• Assess the students knowledge
• Goal 40 of the students and families will KNOW
  information
• Develop questions that assess memory
• Meet APR Goals
• All grants require students families tohave
  college-access information
• Surveys reflect this
• Incentives
• Encourage student participation
• Encourage students to return parent surveys

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benefits

• Building student relationships
• College-aged presenter
• Music style easily relatable
• Break from traditional classroom style
• Advertising
• Tutoring
• MySpace Bebo sites
• Summer College Tours
• GEAR UP Camps
• New Students
• Students not in program want to join

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Showcasing talents

• Students get opportunities to perform
• Summer program graduation
• For parents at awards banquets
• Talent show performances
• Created a rap video
• Looking into getting students on morning news
  show

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Seeing it in action Lesson Plan

• Lesson materials
• Demonstration of lesson
• Performance of rap

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Questions and Answers

• Visit www.gearup.lsu.edu for more information
• Letrez A. Myer, M.A.Program CoordinatorLetrezM_at_l
  su.edu
• James MilliganEvent Coordinator/MentorJMilli2_at_ls
  u.edu
• Tamatha Brown
• GEAR UP Advisor
• tamathab_at_lsu.edu
• Office Phone [phone]

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