About Oregon GEAR UP

College...it’s not a dream, it’s a plan. That’s our motto at Oregon GEAR UP, and it guides our work with middle and high schools around the state. We support schools in their efforts to set high academic expectations, promote early awareness of college opportunities, and engage students in college and career planning. Our goal is to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary programs, and we work with school districts, colleges and universities, and a variety of partner organizations across Oregon to realize that goal.

Activities are concentrated in twenty Oregon schools receiving GEAR UP funding during the 2008-2014 grant cycle. Alongside the funding, GEAR UP provides these schools with technical assistance and coordinates a variety of statewide activities that support their development of successful college readiness initiatives.

Middle and high school staff design and carry out most of the GEAR UP program’s activities. Our partner organizations provide curriculum support, mentorship programs and professional development opportunities to the schools, as well as college campus-based events that expose students to college life.

GEAR UP Headlines

3:50 pm PST, Fri Nov 20

Applications now available for Black United Fund scholarships
posted: 11/18/09

College planning podcasts from EducationQuest
posted: 11/18/09

The Oregonian: Oregon universities try to recruit more Latino students
posted: 11/18/09

Nominations open for National Teachers Hall of Fame
posted: 11/18/09

Investing in Innovation Fund: $650M in Federal Grants to School Districts in 2010
posted: 11/11/09

more news...

Spotlight

New resources at free.ed.gov!

The 2010 census, oceans and climate, estuaries, images from space, and scientific discoveries that have changed our lives are the focus of new resources at FREE, the website that makes it easier to find teaching and learning resources from the federal government. Go to http://www.free.ed.gov/ to explore the site, or check out some of the new resources listed below:

Census in Schools
Offers lesson plans, fact sheets, and activities for learning about the 2010 census.  How are census data used? Why is the wording of questions important? What are the various ways of representing data? How has the census affected history? What predictions can you make about the future based on census data? These and other topics are the focus of lessons for Grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12 that help develop knowledge and skills in math, maps and geography, civics, reading, and writing.  (U.S. Census Bureau)

http://www.free.ed.gov/resource.cfm?resource_id=2143

Estuaries
Features "Estuaries 101 Curriculum" -- three modules for Grades 9-12 that focus on life science, earth science, and physical science.  Students use historic and real time data and hands on activities to investigate estuaries -- the thin zone along a coastlines where freshwater systems and rivers meet and mix with the ocean.  (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

http://www.free.ed.gov/resource.cfm?resource_id=2140

NASA Images
Provides photos and video related to space exploration, aeronautics, and astronomy.  Topics include the universe, solar system, earth, and astronauts.  A space flight interactive timeline shows images and video from the 1959 launch of Explorer 1, the first spacecraft successfully launched by the U.S., to the Mars Rovers and International Space Station.  (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

http://www.free.ed.gov/resource.cfm?resource_id=2141

NOAA Environmental Visualization Lab
Provides dozens of animations and images about topics such as coral reefs, ocean acidification, humans' impact on the ocean, the dead zone, hurricanes, African droughts, and more.  Images of data are included.  These resources draw on NOAA data sources, satellite images, and computer models.  (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

http://www.free.ed.gov/resource.cfm?resource_id=2139

Science Nation
An online magazine that each week looks at discoveries and researchers that will change our lives: an artificial retina that can help the blind to see, new materials for building things stronger and lighter, what we're learning from organisms in hot volcanic vents, and ice core secrets that could reveal answers to global warming.  (National Science Foundation)

http://www.free.ed.gov/resource.cfm?resource_id=2138

Tides of Change Video Series
Explores oceans and how they affect earth’s climate.  Videos focus on six topics: the water cycle, carbon cycle, sea level changes, ocean salinity, remote sensing, and phytoplankton (the tiny marine plants responsible for half of the photosynthesis that occurs on earth).  (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

http://www.free.ed.gov/resource.cfm?resource_id=2142