Incentive Grants
Community and Faith-Based Outreach
Community and Faith-Based Organization Outreach
GEAR UP awards grants to support initiatives that tap the potential of youth and family outreach services and activities of community and faith-based organizations (CBOs). GEAR UP awards annual subgrants to CBOs to promote Oklahoma's Promise and to engage parents, especially by raising educational expectations.
2007-2008 CBO Incentive Grant Recipients
Fellowship of Women in Christ, Ada, will partner with East Central University and Ada Junior High for “BEST Educational Program – Bridge to Excellence for Students in Transition.” BEST will provide college preparation resources, Oklahoma’s Promise information and academic assistance to students and their families as they transition through junior high and high school to college. In addition, the program will offer on-site services to students at Ada Junior High and Byng Public Schools as well as provide informational services to other junior high and middle schools in Pontotoc County including Allen, Latta, Roff, Vanoss, Stonewall and McLish school districts.
Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will partner with Oklahoma City Public Schools, Oklahoma State University – Oklahoma City and Oklahoma City Community College. The program will utilize college interns to distribute and promote information on preparing for college and Oklahoma’s Promise to students and families from three high schools – Capitol Hill, Southeast and U.S. Grant. The VIVA Oklahoma’s Promise outreach coordinators will make presentations to students during assemblies, make personal contact with individual students and set up appointments to discuss college options to both parents and students. In addition to participating in college nights, the program staff will set up booths with college prep and Oklahoma’s Promise information at south Oklahoma City retail stores one Saturday per month.
St. John Christian Care Center, Oklahoma City, will partner with Frederick Douglass High School and the University of Central Oklahoma for “eXcell,” which will provide mentoring sessions, financial aid awareness seminars, ACT test prep workshops, parent/teacher meetings and college and career fairs. In addition, two project liaisons will conduct Oklahoma’s Promise enrollment and retention activities on the high school campus on a monthly basis. Also, representatives of the program will attend sporting events during basketball and football seasons to recruit Oklahoma’s Promise participants and generate parental support.
Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City will partner with Rogers Middle School, Star Spencer High School and Rose State College for the “Spencer College Bound Youth Program.” Tutoring sessions will be the springboard for college prep discussion and enrollment in Oklahoma’s Promise. In addition, students will be given the opportunity to participate in preparing for college sessions on the importance of academic readiness, applying for financial aid and career exploration. Other sessions will encourage students to make good grades, attend class and have a positive attitude. Additionally, students will go on college campus tours, attend life skills seminars and career fairs, and hear from guest speakers.
Community Action Project of Tulsa County (CAP) will partner with Oklahoma State University – Tulsa and Tulsa Community College to distribute and promote information on preparing for college and Oklahoma’s Promise to students and families from five high schools – McClain School of Science and Technology, Central, Nathan Hale, Will Rogers and Daniel Webster. During tax season, January through April, CAP will again offer Oklahoma’s Promise enrollment at several free tax-service sites. In addition, mentoring , tutoring and targeted Oklahoma’s Promise promotion events and services will be conducted in both English and Spanish.
East Tulsa Prevention Coalition (ETPC), a program of the Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa, will partner with East Central High School and Tulsa Community College to target high school students and families for Oklahoma’s Promise enrollment through outreach activities in both English and Spanish, including open houses, financial aid awareness sessions, back-to-school nights, parent/teacher meetings and on-site resource fairs. In addition, the program will engage assistance from the Paseo de Salud Program in order to provide quality home-based outreach services to Hispanic families and will enlist the assistance of parents and teachers at East Central to reach the African-American population.
To view 2006-2007 CBO Incentive Grant Recipients, click here.
To view 2005-2006 CBO Incentive Grant Recipients, click here.
College Access Subgrants for K-12
GEAR UP awards subgrants to school districts to implement early intervention strategies that address specific local needs. GEAR UP trainer/coordinators work closely with each school district to ensure that the early intervention strategies are effective and research-based.
School districts that did not receive subgrant funding in Phase I of GEAR UP are eligible in Phase II to apply for expanded one-year subgrants to be awarded annually through 2010.
2008 College Access Subgrant Recipients
Byng Public Schools will partner with East Central University and the Byng Excellence in Education Foundation for “Byng GEAR UP Project.” They will implement the Ruby Payne and LOGIC programs. In addition, grant monies will fund open houses to educate students and parents about the importance of postsecondary education and to promote Oklahoma’s Promise. Also, representatives from East Central University will be present during school events to answer student and parent questions about college preparation.
Canton Public Schools will partner with the Canton Chamber of Commerce and Northwestern Oklahoma State University to implement the Ruby Payne program to help the faculty and administration understand why students from generational poverty are having difficulty achieving success in the education environment. In addition, grant monies will fund tutoring sessions for 5th-12th graders and parent-education meetings about Oklahoma’s Promise, concurrent enrollment, scholarships and financial aid. Also, funding will be used for tours of community facilities and college campuses.
Dover Public Schools will partner with the Dover Parent-Teachers Association and Redlands Community College for “Longhorns Stampede to College: GEAR UP for Higher Education.” They will implement the Ruby Payne program. In addition, grant funds will be used to host four parents’ nights throughout the 2008-2009 school year to educate parents about Oklahoma’s Promise, the Oklahoma Career Information System, graduation requirements, standardized testing, onsite college courses and advanced placement classes. Also, funds will be instrumental in establishing an after-school tutoring program to provide academic assistance to students scoring below satisfactory on the Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests in reading and math and the End-of-Instruction English, math and biology tests.
Eagletown Public Schools will partner with the Choctaw Nation and Southeastern Oklahoma State University for “Eagletown GEAR UP College Access Program.” They will implement the Ruby Payne and LOGIC programs. In addition, grant funds will be used to host enrollment clinics to provide students and parents with information regarding Oklahoma’s Promise, financial aid, Choctaw Nation assistance and college admission. During the clinics, each teacher will be assigned a certain number of students to help with enrollment and other related issues. Also, funds will be used for meetings throughout the school year to discuss college access and preparation.
Glenpool Public Schools will partner with the Glenpool Chamber of Commerce and Oklahoma State University Technical Branch – Okmulgee for “ACT Now College.” They will implement the Ruby Payne program. In addition, grant funds will be used for after-school ACT preparation courses and practice tests. Also, the grant will help fund college campus tours and forums to educate teachers, parents and students on strategies to achieve postsecondary goals.
Hardesty Public Schools will partner with Area 51 and Oklahoma Panhandle State University to implement the Ruby Payne and LOGIC programs. In addition, grant funds will be used for workshops to teach students about Oklahoma’s Promise as well as study skills and habits necessary to succeed in college. Also, the grant will provide resources to host college/career days and campus tours, including visits to Southwestern Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University. Through the partnership with Area 51, school staff will promote the Parenting Wisely program designed to improve family communication, increase parental supervision and improve discipline.
Ketchum Public Schools will partner with the First Southern Baptist Church of Ketchum and Northeastern State University for “Ketchum Promise.” They will implement the Ruby Payne and LOGIC programs. In addition, the grant monies will help implement a Teachers as Advisors program to help prepare junior high and high school students for postsecondary education. Grant funds will also be used for college fairs to expose students to requirements necessary for college and to promote enrollment in Oklahoma’s Promise.
Lawton Public Schools will partner with the Army Partnership with Lawton Area Schools (APLAS) and Cameron University for two subgrant projects at the high school level: “GEAR UP Eisenhower” and “GEAR UP MacArthur.” The projects will implement the Ruby Payne and LOGIC programs. Also, the GEAR UP programs will work with other college access programs, such as Upward Bound and Open Doors, to help host college preparation workshops for students and parents. In addition, Cameron University will provide professional development on working with students who will be the first in their family to attend college, and APLAS will provide mentors to students in the areas of reading, writing, math and peer-related cultural issues.
Mangum Public Schools will partner with Mangum Main Street and Western Oklahoma State College for “Mangum High School Race for College.” They will implement the Ruby Payne program to develop better ideas for encouraging academic excellence at Mangum High School. In addition, grant funds will be used to establish before- and after-school tutoring, ACT preparation workshops, an honors banquet for students who are in the top 15 percent of each class, and multi-grade seminars for parents to discuss Oklahoma’s Promise, financial aid and ACT test preparation. Also, funds will be used for college campus tours, to update classroom resources, to buy graphing calculators and to develop plan books for all high school students.
Muskogee Public Schools will partner with the Muskogee Chamber of Commerce and Northeastern State University for “Muskogee GEAR UP.” They will implement the Thinking Maps program. In addition, grant funds will be used to create a college and career awareness class for 10th-grade students to learn how to utilize the College Board College Ed curriculum, the OKcollegestart.org Web site and student pre-ACT test results for career exploration and college planning. Also, funds will be used for a career awareness event to provide students exposure to the variety of careers in the Muskogee area and to connect postsecondary requirements to the careers. The grant will provide mentoring and tutoring to decrease reading and math remediation.
Ringling Public Schools will partner with the First Baptist Church of Ringling and Murray State College for “Ringling GEAR UP College Access Program.” They will implement the Ruby Payne program. In addition, the grant monies will be used to offset the costs of traveling for campus tours and to purchase student planners. College preparation seminars will be held for parents and students to learn more about Oklahoma’s Promise, financial aid and college requirements. Also, grant funds will be used to realign curriculum in each of the core subjects – math, language arts, social studies and science.
Tulsa Public Schools was awarded two subgrants at the middle school level. Cleveland Middle School will partner with the YWCA of Tulsa and Tulsa Community College for the “Becoming…” project. They will implement the Thinking Maps program into all core content courses to assist students in organizing their thought processes. In addition, grant funds will implement a four-strand program, which includes skills for success, career exploration and development, mentoring, and parental involvement. The strands will include topics such as standardized test preparation, student interest exploration, postsecondary education encouragement, and Oklahoma’s Promise and other financial aid opportunities. Also, grant funds will be used to provide a Spanish-speaking college counselor to work with Latino students and families to promote college preparedness and college entrance requirements.
Lewis and Clark Middle School will partner with the Garnett Road Baptist Church and Oklahoma State University for “Discovering College.” They will implement the Ruby Payne program. In addition, grant funds will help institute a three-day summer bridge camp for 6th, 7th and 8th graders to become familiar with the school’s policies and procedures, explore school success techniques and participate in team building activities to help students overcome barriers to learning that are fostered by poverty. Grant funds will be used to purchase newspapers for classrooms. Also, grant monies will be used to promote Oklahoma’s Promise and other financial aid opportunities, assist with college student guest speakers as they visit classrooms to discuss the college experience and to provide college campus tours.
View 2007 College Access Subgrant Recipients.
View 2006 College Access Subgrant Recipients.