Educational outcomes of GEAR up over two decades: A systematic review

Abstract

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is a federally funded college readiness program developed to minimize the inequalities in pursuing postsecondary education. This is a systematic review that analyzed 13 studies on the educational outcomes of GEAR UP and identified activities that are positively correlated with educational outcomes. The results showed that included among the studies observed were positive contributions of GEAR UP on academic, behavioral, social, and employability outcomes. Further, academic and community activities such as tutoring and college tours were positively associated with college-going expectations, college-readiness assessment scores, and high school grade point average (GPA). Additional studies are urgently needed to include different subgroups of historically underrepresented groups and to investigate how GEAR UP continues to influence college persistence.

Keywords:

• GEAR UP
• educational outcomes
• college readiness
• college preparation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was partially supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education (P334A200032) awarded to Linda G. Castillo and Marcia L. Montague.

Notes on contributors

Haemin Kim

Haemin Kim is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Houston. Her research interests include promoting equity education for English learners as well as teacher-researcher practice partnership in education.

Marcia L. Montague

Marcia L. Montague is a Clinical Assistant Professor in Special Education at Texas A&M University. Her research interests surround equity in access for individuals with disabilities and at-risk youth. Dr. Montague engages in research and service activities centering on supporting the transition to postsecondary education for and the college retention of first-generation students and students with disabilities.

Linda G. Castillo

Dr. Linda G. Castillo is a professor of counseling psychology at Texas A&M University. Her expertise and research focus on Latine educational persistence and mental health. She has received over $10 million in external funding for her work on college and career readiness of low-income adolescents. She is a licensed psychologist and Fellow of the American Psychological Association.