Original Post Date: June 17, 2022

This year, during National GEAR UP Week, we are celebrating the resiliency of our #GEARUPworks community. As a part of that celebration we are challenging YOU (and your students, families, partners, school administrators, teachers, everyone!) to celebrate your resilience by participating in the 2022 National GEAR UP Week TikTok/Instagram Reel competition. 

What’s the video? 

We want you to be inspired by Britney Spears Stronger! Listen here. 

In your video,…

Original Post Date: April 22, 2022

One of my favorite memories as a child was when I received a karaoke machine for Christmas. I was in my mid-teens and for me, singing was EVERYTHING. In my household, music was a big part of our everyday lives. From blasting ‘oldies but goodies’ on Saturday mornings as a pretty successful wake up call, to cranking some tunes anytime my siblings and I were doing homework. Music has always been a part of my life. So, when I received a karaoke machine I was over…

Original Post Date: June 9, 2022

As you head into summer and you begin to plan your vacations and summer reading lists, consider giving your skills a little boost, and review the professional development (PD) options NCCEP has to offer. Online learning offers a way to engage and stay connected with a larger community. We have plenty of options to pick from, ranging from taking online courses at your own pace to participating in a cohort-style program. Here is a primer on the plethora of PD to…

Orignial Post Date: May 27, 2022

After over two years of meeting virtually, the GEAR UP community will be meeting in-person in Washington, DC. Raise the roof if you are as ready as we are!

We look forward to this gathering of GEAR UP practitioners and partners, when we will come together to learn, grow, and thrive as a community (did I mention, in-person?!). 

To help you prepare, we’ll be offering a ton of information via social media – @edpartnerships on Twitter and Instagram – and our website.…

Orignal Post Date: May 6, 2022

Our community has come together in visible unity and strength over the past month to advocate for GEAR UP in a variety of ways.  

Because of your advocacy, we gained 24 new supporters from Congress on the GEAR UP Dear Colleague letters asking for a significant increase in GEAR UP funding for Fiscal Year 2023. We have record bipartisan support on both the House and the Senate letter.  

This is because of your advocacy. Your commitment to your students. Your voice…

Original Post Date: February 11, 2022

Here in the GEAR UP community, we take student success very seriously. Making sure our students have what they need for a bright future is why we come to work each day and go above and beyond.

Yet, these efforts don’t pull from bottomless wells. To better help students, we each need to occasionally refill our own well so that we can bring our best self to support students and families.

Professional development opportunities are a great way to pause and…

Original Post Date: February 25, 2022

During my years as the Director of Research and Evaluation responsible for three GEAR UP partnership grants in Oklahoma, I would often start my annual APR kick-off meetings with reference to Andy Williams’ Christmas classic It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. While thinking about the APR season does not, for most GEAR UP professionals, conjure images of “marshmallows for roasting” or “caroling out in the snow”, NCCEP has a number of resources…

Original Post Date: April 8, 2022

One of GEAR UP’s greatest strengths is the people in our professional community. This fact informs NCCEP’s initiatives to build connections to share, learn, and problem-solve during and outside of our two annual events. 

At our most recent Capacity-Building Workshop in February 2022, participants had the option to attend four different Exploration Labs. These sessions were a departure from the usual “sage on the stage” model, instead focusing on the…

Original Post Date: March 25, 2022

I entered the educational system as a student about the same time my small, rural school was placing Apple computers in the elementary school classrooms. While my school district did not have a plethora of technology resources (we didn’t get internet in my high school until 1999), I do remember always having a brownish-gray box with a green and black screen at the back corner of every classroom. As a result, when I look back on my elementary school…