[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 17, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S5694]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             GEAR UP HAWAII

 Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, September 22nd marks the beginning 
of National Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate 
Programs, GEAR UP, Week and I would like to take a moment to recognize 
the invaluable work of GEAR UP in Hawaii.
  For more than a decade, GEAR UP has provided low-income students all 
over the country with the support and resources they need to go to 
college. GEAR UP helps these students, many of which are the first in 
their family to go to college, to overcome the challenges they face in 
their communities.
  GEAR UP Hawaii serves over 16,000 students each year from low-income 
and underserved communities throughout the State in grades 7 through 12 
and in their first year in college. The program provides a number of 
services to these students including: supporting academic preparation 
in high school; providing opportunities for early college options; 
increasing college access and financial aid information to students and 
families; and supporting students in their first year in college. GEAR 
UP Hawaii has gained national recognition for its success in closing 
the achievement gap and helping low-income students prepare for 
college.
  Through its collaborative partnerships between Hawaii's State 
Department of Education, K-12 schools, the University of Hawaii, 
businesses, and community organizations, GEAR UP Hawaii inspires 
students to see post-secondary education as something they can achieve. 
It also gives students the tools they need to succeed in college and 
their careers.
  The program's results demonstrate that GEAR UP Hawaii is making 
significant strides towards increasing the number of low-income 
students who are prepared for and enroll in college. The first class of 
Step Up Scholars, a GEAR UP Hawaii program, graduated from high school 
in June 2013 and earned the college-ready Board of Education 
Recognition Diploma, BOERD, at nearly twice the rate of the statewide 
average and three times the rate of non-Step Up Scholars. In addition, 
across GEAR UP Hawaii schools this past year, there was a 14 percent 
increase in the number of students participating in dual enrollment 
programs who graduated high school with six or more college credits. 
Thanks to these programs, Hawaii's students graduate from high school 
better prepared for college and for their futures.
  A college education is a path to opportunity for our students. GEAR 
UP Hawaii plays a vital role in fulfilling our responsibility to ensure 
that every student has access to that path.

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