[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12924]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             GEAR UP HAWAII

  Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, today, September 19, marks the beginning 
of National Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate 
Programs, GEAR UP, Week, and I would like to recognize the meaningful 
work of GEAR UP in Hawaii.
  Since 1998, GEAR UP has provided support and resources to low-income 
students across the country to inform them about, prepare for, and 
succeed in college. GEAR UP helps these students, many who are first-
generation college students, 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 equips students with 
the tools they need to succeed in college and their careers. GEAR UP 
delivers a number of services to students, including supporting early 
college-level academic preparation in high school, providing 
opportunities for early college options, increasing college access and 
financial aid information to students and families, and advising 
students during their first year of college to increase first-year 
completion. GEAR UP Hawaii has gained national recognition for its 
success in closing the achievement gap among groups traditionally 
underrepresented in higher education 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, local 
businesses, and community organizations, GEAR UP Hawaii inspires 
students to see postsecondary education as something they can achieve. 
The early outreach GEAR UP Hawaii performs is key to improving access 
to postsecondary education for students from low-income families in our 
State.
  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. For example, 20 
percent of Step Up Scholars, a GEAR UP Hawaii program, graduated from 
high school in June 2015 with the Board of Education Recognition 
Diploma, BOERD, compared to 14 percent of students statewide. The BOERD 
is an honors diploma that requires students to earn a minimum 
cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and complete a senior project. 
Additionally, GEAR UP has increased the availability of High School 
Based Running Start, HBRS, courses, which allow high school students to 
attend University of Hawaii classes to earn both high school and 
college credits. For the Hawaii class of 2014, 83 percent of students 
who took at least one HBRS course enrolled in college the semester 
after graduation compared to the statewide average of 56 percent. 
Thanks to these programs, thousands of Hawaii's students graduate from 
high school every year better prepared for college and for their 
futures.
  A college education is a path of opportunity for our students. GEAR 
UP Hawaii has been and will continue to be critical in supporting the 
State's goal of having 55 percent of working-age adults in the State 
earn a college degree by 2025. I commend GEAR UP Hawaii for the vital 
role it plays in helping Hawaii's students access and excel in their 
higher education.

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