Floor Speeches

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition and support of Colorado GEAR UP because college access and success is more critical than ever for making our economy strong and competitive and to give every child the access to the gateway of opportunity that an education provides.

Each and every day, Colorado GEAR UP helps us meet the President's goal to lead the world in college graduates by 2020. It prepares our State's low-income students for college. It's funded by the U.S. Department of Education and managed by the Colorado Department of Higher Education. Unfortunately, way too many students are left behind across the country, both in secondary and postsecondary education. Designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter into and succeed in postsecondary education, GEAR UP provides 6-year grants to States and partnerships to provide services at high-poverty middle and high schools, and funds are used to provide college scholarships.
  
Colorado GEAR UP's vision is to engage, encourage, and enable Colorado's low-income students, including first-generation college-goers and new immigrants to get on a pathway to college so they can reach their potential and pursue their dreams. With its current grant, Colorado GEAR UP has served over 2,500 students in 8 middle schools and 12 high schools across Colorado.

Colorado GEAR UP is an effective tool for helping students to close Colorado's Achievement Gap by preparing students to meet rigorous expectations and to level the playing field for Colorado's low-income students. Beginning in the seventh grade, Colorado GEAR UP selects cohorts of students in 10 middle schools and 8 school districts Statewide. Pre-collegiate advisors follow their students through high school, where they empower students and families with the information, resources, academic, and cultural support that they need to finish high school and enroll in college.
  
A vital element of the program is the connection between students and their advisors. Advisors have a lower student-counselor ratio, and meet with their students at least twice a month. If a student is struggling academically, culturally, or socially, the counselors meet with the student even more often than twice a month. Data drives the programmatic decisions. They enter all data about meetings in a data base and they provide monthly reports to the principals of the school. Colorado GEAR UP also measures success through an annual online student survey that takes place each spring.
  
The Colorado GEAR UP model focuses on college and career exploration, exposure, and experience. Students participate in monthly college knowledge workshops. They visit college campuses. They learn about different kinds of degrees and different kinds of financial aid that might be available to them. Juniors and seniors use the GEAR UP online college portfolio as a navigation tool to help them with their college selection process, the admissions process, and financial aid. In 2008 and 2009, more than 80 percent of Colorado GEAR UP students understood the financial aid options, compared to 30 percent of their peers.
  
Colorado GEAR UP has partnered with community colleges and 4-year institutions to offer concurrent enrollment courses as early as the second semester of their sophomore year in high school. This allows students to take courses for actual college credit while they're still in high school. Not only are Colorado GEAR UP students taking advantage of college coursework, they're succeeding. This past fall, 80 percent in the GEAR UP junior cohort completed at least one college course, and 77 percent received at least a C or better in a college course while they were in high school.
  
As a result of their participation, Colorado GEAR UP students will enter college with a significant amount of college credit, and some may even earn an associate's degree. As students go onto college campuses, GEAR UP partners with the institutions to continue to track progress and make sure that the students have the support services they need to succeed at college.
  
I want to share with you what some students say about Colorado GEAR UP. ``GEAR UP is an opportunity to achieve an education. It just makes a person realize about the real world. GEAR UP is there to make it a little easier,'' said a tenth-grader from Pueblo East High School. A tenth-grader from North Ridge High School said, ``GEAR UP means opportunity to me. It means a chance to go to college and succeed in my life.''
  
Moving forward, Colorado GEAR UP plans to expand to serve even more students across Colorado. This program's performance clearly demonstrates that students can be successful in early college initiatives, can succeed at a 4-year university, given the proper guidance and support and opportunities. Early college experience can even save money by preventing students from dropping out of high school. That's why I applaud Colorado GEAR UP as a national model for innovation and effectiveness in expanding college access for low-income students and first-generation college goers, and I strongly support its continued expansion and success.