Oct. 17, 2018 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Students in four Wyoming area school districts will gain academic assistance to boost their chances for success in college and beyond through a partnership with Grand Rapids Community College and a $2.1 million, six-year grant from the U.S. Education Department.
Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs -- or GEAR UP -- is a competitive federal program that provides resources to promote college awareness, improve academic performance in math and writing, increase high school graduation rates, and improve the transition of students from middle school to high school, and from high school to college -- particularly for at-risk, low-income, and first-generation students.
GRCC -- the only Michigan college to receive the federal grant this year -- will partner with the Godfrey Lee, Godwin Heights, Kelloggsville, and Wyoming school districts.
“We embrace opportunities to be a resource for the communities we serve,” GRCC President Bill Pink said. “We’re working with our partners in the school districts, helping students and their families. GEAR UP is an intensive effort to build skills and awareness of college and careers so students can set ambitious goals and have the support to attain them."
The grants will serve a cohort of seventh-graders, following them from middle school to high school and off to college or career training. GEAR UP funds also can provide college scholarships to low-income students.