As we shared on our social media channels yesterday, the White House released their proposed FY 2019 budget, which calls for the elimination of GEAR UP. I’d like to address three topics in this communication: (1) what the White House budget is proposing; (2) our forecast on how Congress will react to the proposal; and (3) some early thoughts on our next steps. While we were all away at the Capacity-Building Workshop, there were many government relations developments that we’ll tackle in more…

In theory, the peer review of GEAR UP grant proposals is an elegant process. Three deeply committed, highly experienced experts deliberate on the intricate details of your proposal and apply their wisdom to inform the selection of the very best. In practice, however, the peer review looks very different.

While it’s been some time since I’ve sat in on a U.S. Department of Education (ED) sponsored peer review, the general process and certainly the underlying dynamics are still relevant. So,…