Cal State L.A. Awarded a Six-Year, $2.9 Million Grant to Continue its College Preparatory Program

Los Angeles, CA - California State University, Los Angeles has recently been awarded a third six-year grant, totaling $2.9 million, from the U.S. Department of Education to continue services offered through Project GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) to Belvedere and Griffith Middle Schools, as well as to two additional middle schools, Hollenbeck and Stevenson.

CSULA's Project GEAR UP-sponsored by a collaborative partnership that includes East Los Angeles College, Los Angeles Trade Technical College, The East Los Angeles Community Union, Boyle Heights Center for Educational Achievement, and LAUSD District 5 schools-is to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in post-secondary education.

A total of 3,600 youth will be in the new cohort and will receive an array of appropriate student academic development support services, such as tutoring, mentoring, college field trips, academic advisement, Saturday academies, and intensive summer programs at Cal State L.A.

David J. Godoy, assistant vice president of Student Affairs at Cal State L.A., indicates that Project GEAR UP has proven to be a very effective program for the small cohort of 562 students who started at Griffith Middle School in 1999. He notes, "Five hundred fifty-eight students from this first cohort graduated from Garfield High School this year."

In fall 2002, the Collaborative was awarded a six-year grant of $1.1 million to provide services to 1,425 middle school students from Griffith and Belvedere. The second cohort of students will start classes at Garfield (1104) and Roosevelt (321) High Schools this fall.

"Garfield High School had to triple its geometry course offerings for the incoming freshman class due to the large number of eligible students," says Godoy.

Additionally, Project GEAR UP funding supports many opportunities for business and community-based organizations to work together in the interests of youth attending these Los Angeles schools. Training and development programs will also be provided for parents and teachers.

For details about the GEAR UP grant, go to: http://www.ed.gov/programs/gearup/index.html.

Media Contact: Margie Yu, Public Affairs Specialist, (323) 343-3047