NCCEP's Career & College Clubs has gone through three ACT impact studies, with the most recent study published in the fall of 2021. We wanted to examine the efficacy of the program and curriculum…basically does it really do what we say it does? And it does! I am so excited to share these positive results with the GEAR UP community.

This latest report, Examining the Efficacy of Career & College Clubs, was done in collaboration with ACT and Alliance GEAR UP, and it explored the development of college readiness skills in over 900 GEAR UP students. So let me share some specific results with you.

Now when I first read the report, I read a lot of different skills and categories, some numbers, and a symbol that looked like a fancy ‘a’. And to say the least, I was confused. I received help to translate the report, and now I can pay it forward. So, here’s a summary.

The results presented in this report suggest that the Career & College Clubs curriculum, within the context of GEAR UP programming, can increase students’ college readiness by supporting and building students’ social and emotional skills, postsecondary knowledge, and education intentions.

First, students developed stronger social and emotional skills. Social and emotional skills include interpersonal, self-regulatory, and task-related behaviors that allow people to be successful in school and work settings. Examples include managing emotions, setting and achieving personal goals, and maintaining relationships with others. From the report we learned students improved in all areas, especially within career exploration, academic discipline, and managing feelings.

The second result is that students increased their knowledge of postsecondary education and felt they were on track to have enough information about college entrance requirements and what it takes to get into a 4-year college. They learn about how to apply to college, their post-secondary options, and financial aid.

The last result of the ACT report is that students improved education intentions with 93% of participants planning to get a college degree. Another measure of college readiness is whether students can see themselves attending college, and whether or not they have a plan for higher education.

Stronger social and emotional skills.

Increased knowledge of post-secondary education.

Improved education intentions.

What a success.

Email ccc@edpartnerships.org to learn how you can take advantage of NCCEP's Career & College Clubs.