About Us
Who is GEAR UP?
We are a collective of people who are leaders of social justice that work to ensure ALL students have equitable access to a quality education.
The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is a federally funded initiative administered by the United States Department of Education. Since 1999, the California GEAR UP Program has been administered by the University of California with a charge to lead systemic reform through a programmatic focus on enhancing the organizational capacity of middle schools to prepare ALL students for success after high school.
The California GEAR UP model differs from the Partnership model in terms of participants. The GEAR UP Partnership Programs follow a cohort of students starting in middle school as contrasted to the California GEAR UP Program that supports the adults who directly serve the students.
The GEAR UP program offers a variety of supportive services like in-class tutoring and after-class tutoring. We also provide field trips, college visits, and industry sector visits for interested students. In addition to that, we feature college/career counseling and student/parent workshops.
It's important to mention that everything is free but we offer all our services on a first come, first served basis.
GEAR UP is a program designed to help all students succeed and is not mandatory.