[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 123 (Friday, July 25, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1562]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL GEAR UP DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. TOM COLE

                              of oklahoma

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 22, 2008

  Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak on behalf 
of the resolution honoring The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness 
for Undergraduate Program. I would also like to thank Mr. Fattah for 
introducing this bill. He has been a wonderful advocate for the GEAR UP 
program.
  Madam Speaker, The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for 
Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP) is designed to increase the number of 
low income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in 
postsecondary education. Over the last ten years, this program has met 
with unprecedented success. As we all know, postsecondary education 
contributes to the well-being of individuals and their communities and 
helps to build a more vibrant, open-minded and stronger society. The 
GEAR UP staff members work with students to help them create personal 
accounts that allow them to explore colleges and careers, discover ways 
to plan and pay for college, and apply for colleges online. Even more 
significantly, students participating in GEAR UP programs have a high 
school graduation rate almost ten points above other low-income 
students who are not in the program.
  While the GEAR UP program across the nation has met with tremendous 
achievement, I would like to draw attention to my home state of 
Oklahoma which has been one of the front runners in GEAR UP programs. 
Oklahoma began this program in 1999, making it one of the oldest GEAR 
UP Programs in the nation. Since Oklahoma has one of the strongest GEAR 
UP programs in the country, other educators from other states regularly 
visit Oklahoma to learn about new and innovative ways to implement the 
program. So far, the efforts have served over 31,000 students 
throughout the state.
  Madam Speaker, as a result of GEAR UP, participation in Postsecondary 
Education has increased 10 percent over the last 10 years overall in 
the state, and there has been a dramatic increase in participation by 
minority students. The number of African American students going to 
college in Oklahoma is up 41 percent, Native Americans attending 
college has increased 55 percent, and the number of Hispanic students 
attending college is up 80 percent! These figures are just amazing.
  Also, fewer students in Oklahoma are taking remedial courses during 
their first year of college. In fact, Oklahoma has one of the lowest 
remediation rates in the nation. The GEAR UP Program has also 
significantly increased the number of students enrolled in Oklahoma's 
Promise scholarship program which targeted at low income students. 
Participation in the scholarship program is up 50 percent since 2005.
  In addition to the overall state grant, Oklahoma's universities and 
local school districts have 8 GEAR UP partnership grants. These 
partnership grants serve local school districts and have over $10 
million in funding annually from a combination of state and federal 
dollars that will go towards Oklahoma's educational system.
  Madam Speaker, one of these partnership schools, Eastern Oklahoma 
State College, hosted a summer camp for students enrolled in the 
program. The camp is designed to establish a positive direction for the 
students' future and encourage them to make positive decisions. 
Recently, our office received literally hundreds of letters from Middle 
and early High School students detailing their experiences with the 
GEAR UP summer camp. These low-income youth all detailed that they 
fully enjoyed the programs that GEAR UP guided and that some are now 
considering college a an option. The vast majority of these letters 
said that the students would participate again and hope to continue 
GEAR UP through high school.
  The results of GEAR UP are clear. This program has helped thousands 
of students reach college over the last ten years, and I urge my 
colleagues to vote for this resolution commending its marked success.

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