GEAR UP - State Grant - Incentive Grants

College Access Subgrants for K-12

GEAR UP College Access Subgrants help fund professional development for teachers as they adopt classroom strategies proven to help students learn more effectively. Grants also provide much-needed funding for student tutoring, mentoring, career exploration programs and ACT prep materials.

Twenty-nine school districts targeting 36 sites were selected as the 2011 College Access Subgrant recipients.

Subgrant recipients received approximately $12,500 to adopt research-based, student intervention programs that help students process, recall and utilize information; build math expertise and confidence; strengthen science reasoning; learn planning, time management, organizational and study skills; and get motivated to study harder, set goals and focus on success. Educators gain leadership, organizational and teamwork skills through these programs.

All grant recipients are using funds to boost local college access efforts by participating in Dr. Ruby Payne’s “A Framework for Understanding Poverty.” This program is designed to train school faculty in strategies for supporting children and parents who live in poverty. The strategies are utilized in classroom settings and are meant to enhance student academic achievement.

In addition, subgrant recipients must adopt at least one of the following research-based, student-intervention programs at their sites. These programs help teachers better understand how students learn. They include:

CollegeEd: This College Board academic and career planning curriculum for students, teachers and parents is designed to help students understand that a college education is possible and to teach students how to achieve success in higher education. It provides teachers with tools to help students learn planning, time management, organizational and study skills as well as learn methods to motivate students to study harder, set goals and focus on success.
College Board’s Pre-Advanced Placement (AP) Summer Institutes: English, Math, Science, Social Studies: These subject-specific workshops provide teachers with the support and training needed to teach Advanced Placement courses and to utilize Pre-AP teaching strategies. Topics covered include an update on AP exams, how to refresh and improve existing AP courses, recent changes in AP course descriptions and strategies for teaching students at beginning or intermediate levels.
Engaging All Students: Led by an advocate for experiential education, this interactive workshop looks at the “next steps” schools should take to build thinking models for students. Participants examine changes successful schools are making that have affected student achievement and resulted in higher test scores.
Grant Writing Institute: This workshop helps participants identify the best practices in successful grant writing. Participants create an
outline of a draft grant proposal and receive direct guidance on writing effective grants.
Math Institute – Make the Connection From Elementary to College Readiness: This session helps fifth- through eighth-grade teachers build instructional strategies necessary to help students strengthen math knowledge and test-taking skills.
Advanced Math Institute: After reviewing skills learned during the Math Institute, participants focus on how school districts can coordinate expectations, approaches and materials in their math classrooms so students can have a clear understanding of the required learning that needs to take place from third grade to Algebra II in high school.
Advanced Science Institute: This program focuses on classroom strategies that model science reasoning activities found in the ACT College Readiness Standards. The major content areas include physical science, biology, chemistry and physics.
Professional Science Institute: This workshop focuses on scientific processes dealing with habits of mind. Participants develop tangible models as a result of mental modeling and framework practices.

Since the College Access Subgrant program began in 2006, GEAR UP has awarded more than $3.1 million to 77 Oklahoma school districts and sites.

2011 College Access Subgrant Recipients
Click on recipient to view project highlights.

Agra Public Schools	Hardesty Public Schools
Altus High School	Ketchum Public Schools
Amber-Pocasset Public Schools	Keys Public Schools
Ardmore Middle School	Lawton Public Schools
Broken Bow High School	Mason Public Schools
Chouteau-Mazie Public Schools	Mountain View-Gotebo Public Schools
Crooked Oak Public Schools	Putnam City West High School
Dickson Public Schools	Sentinel Public School
Duke Public Schools	Silo Public Schools
Durant Public Schools	Snyder Public Schools
Eagletown Public Schools	Thackerville Public Schools
Fairview Public Schools	Thomas-Fay-Custer Unified Schools
Fletcher Public Schools	Turner Public Schools
Grove Public Schools	Weleetka Public Schools
Hammon Public Schools

View past subgrant recipients.
2010/ 2009/ 2008/ 2007/ 2006

Community and Faith-Based Outreach

GEAR UP Community and Faith-Based grants support college preparation initiatives of youth and family outreach services and community and faith-based organizations (CBOs). GEAR UP awards subgrants to CBOs to promote the Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship program and to engage parents and family members in
their children’s college preparation process by raising educational expectations.

2010-2011 CBO Incentive Grant Recipients

Oklahoma City
The Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Prospect Missionary Baptist Church
St. John Christian Care Center
Star Spencer High School Parent, Teacher, Student Association

Tulsa
Community Action Project of Tulsa County (CAP)

View past CBO grant recipients.

2009-2010/2008-2009/2007-2008/2006-2007/2005-2006