Each year, NCCEP requests GEAR UP Grant Directors to complete an Advocacy Information Survey utilizing data from their most recently submitted U.S. Department of Education (ED) Annual Performance Report (APR). Once received, we compile the submitted data, analyze it, and share it with stakeholders and Members of Congress. It’s a critical foundation of our advocacy work at NCCEP. 

Six years ago, I was given the opportunity to participate in a leadership academy for GEAR UP alumni. At this academy, we were taught the power of storytelling, the power of our own stories, and the power of advocacy. It was there where I was shown how to make my passion of changing the world a reality. However, to change the world, you must commit to actions to facilitate that change. 

We learned that there are key tenants to advocacy:

1. Build a relationship and connect with who you are meeting with. 
2. Tell your story. We all have a story that proves that #GEARUPworks. 
3. Support your story by providing facts that further solidify the proof that #GEARUPworks. 

Facts and data are key to advocacy work. Stories move stakeholders. But facts, like how many students are being served in a member of Congress’ home district, make the stories real. They show that the impact GEAR UP has in their community is unique and needed. 

So, we ask each year for GEAR UP Directors to support the #GEARUPworks movement by providing a few facts about their GEAR UP programs through the NCCEP Advocacy Information Survey. 

A staunch advocate for GEAR UP, GEAR UP 4 LA Grant Director, Lois Bramwell shares encouragement for completing the survey, “Nothing is a guarantee anymore. Let’s all do our advocacy survey to help NCCEP fight for our students. The advocacy survey gives NCCEP the information they need to fight for more funding for GEAR UP.” 

As of today, 3 weeks before the June 30^th deadline, only 25% of grantees have completed the survey. With most submissions from the South and Western regions of the U.S., represent the students and families in your region by submitting a response today. 

We ask for only a few pieces of data that can be easily copied and pasted from your recently submitted APR: 

• How many GEAR UP students are served in your state/congressional district? 
• Which K12 schools are served by GEAR UP in your state/district? 
• What organizations partner with GEAR UP? 
• How do educators and families benefit from GEAR UP?

We use this data to paint a national portrait of GEAR UP and to drill down at the state and Congressional district levels. Because virtually every Congressional meeting we have regarding GEAR UP begins with the same questions, we have designed this survey so that we can answer all of these questions quickly. Additionally, we aggregate all of this information to tell the national story of GEAR UP. Most importantly, every Congressional GEAR UP champion we’ve developed was cultivated by hyper-focusing on the role that GEAR UP is playing at the local level. With the information that you can provide, we are able to make a much stronger case for supporting GEAR UP; without it, our advocacy is weakened.

You might have a few questions about submitting a response. Here are a few questions we’ve received, along with our responses. 

I’m a Director and I didn’t receive the Advocacy Survey link. When is it due and how long does it take? The survey link was sent to GEAR UP Directors (as designated by the U.S. Department of Education) via our survey system, SurveyGizmo. As such, we strongly suggest that you check your email spam, clutter, and junk folders as it may have been caught up there. If you are unable to find it, email me and I will send you your unique link. Once you receive the link, it should take no more than 20 minutes to complete and it is due on June 30, 2020. 

It’s hard to find 20 minutes in my schedule. Can I skip it this year? Unfortunately, this is something we need 100% percent participation on. Remember, the information that you can provide here will enable us to make a much stronger case for supporting GEAR UP; without it, our advocacy is weakened. You can delegate the survey to any colleague who can cut and paste from your 2020 APR into the survey format. 

Why are you asking about our Cohort, Priority, or Hybrid student-service model? We’re asking you to report your GEAR UP student service model so that we can better contextualize the GEAR UP portrait at the national and local levels. Since this question takes just a few seconds to answer, it’s well worth it. 

How do we ensure we are entering in the right NCES school codes? Entering the correct NCES school code for participating GEAR UP schools is essential. With the correct NCES school code, we can match each GEAR UP school to a congressional district and pull additional demographic information from the NCES database, thereby saving all of us a lot of time. However, this only works when the NCES code is entered correctly. The easiest thing to do is to find your 12-digit NCES ID code here. Search for your school name, city, and state; click on your school name in the results to access the school profile page, and you will find your NCES School ID directly to the right of the school name. If you are delegating this step to a colleague, please share this infographic with them. 

Who can I talk to if I’m doing this for the first time or if I have questions? We’re here for you and are happy to help with any issues you may be navigating. Just ensure that you have access to your recently completed APR and your link to the survey. From there, if you have any questions you can email me and we’ll get you taken care of!

When is NCCEP’s database updated with this information after the Annual APR Survey?

Typically, around 1.5-2 months after data collection. The data needs to be cleaned (e.g., NCES codes are double checked and updated if incorrect) and grants who did not respond are personally contacted.

Nevada GEAR UP Director, Lori Botelho said her response was quick and easy to submit, “Completing and submitting the NCCEP Advocacy Information survey was a quick and simple process for me. All of the answers/responses could be found in my 2020 APR and the instructions and directions made it very easy to find exactly the data I needed to submit.”

So, we ask that GEAR UP Grant Directors take a few moments today to contribute to the NCCEP mission and further support GEAR UP students, families, and communities. Please submit a response no later than June 30, 2020 and contact me if you have any questions.