Press Releases
CollegeEd® and NCCEP Present Parent Leadership Awards for Outstanding Community Activities
07/21/08
NEW YORK — CollegeEd® and the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships presented five Parent Leadership Awards to GEAR UP parents today at the NCCEP/GEAR UP Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. In collaboration with NCCEP, CollegeEd, a leading college planning program developed by the College Board, presented these awards to parents who have demonstrated a significant commitment and leadership in their local GEAR UP initiative and school community.
The parents come from communities across the United States: Maria León from the Cal State Los Angeles Project GEAR UP, Wanda Taylor from the Chicago GEAR UP Alliance, Debra June Hill from the Nevada State GEAR UP, Raquel Gonzalez from the City University of New York Middle Grades Initiative/GEAR UP Program, and Dianna Lee Sampson from the University of Washington GEAR UP project in Toppenish.
GEAR UP, a school/college partnership that helps prepare low-income and minority students for postsecondary education, is supported by federal and local funding and serves 1.5 million students nation-wide.
Research indicates that parent involvement is critical to student academic and social success. GEAR UP sites are aware of this research and work hard to ensure that parents understand the many ways they can be involved in the education of their children. GEAR UP sites provide a variety of services to their families, ranging from workshops on parenting, financial aid, college admissions and state and local standards to building the capacity of parents to be true leaders in their community and advocates for their children and schools.
The College Board, a not-for-profit membership association, established this award program as part of its ongoing commitment to equity and access for all students.
Rose Fabiszak, director of the CollegeEd program at the College Board, congratulated the parents: “We at the College Board are proud to once again sponsor this award. Our mission to connect students to college mirrors that of all the GEAR UP programs throughout the country that, in partnership with parents, work to ensure that all high school students graduate prepared to go to college, and ultimately to be successful in college and their careers.”
GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) is a partnership between the federal government, schools, colleges, businesses and communities designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.
“We are so pleased that CollegeEd has found it important to honor the work of GEAR UP parents. The parents we are recognizing this year spend so much energy and time ensuring that all GEAR UP students, not only their own, have access to a quality education. They are committed to helping their fellow GEAR UP parents understand the benefits postsecondary education can reap for their children’s future. NCCEP would like to applaud all the parent leaders who are working on behalf of GEAR UP and thank CollegeEd for its commitment to parent and family involvement,” said Héctor Garza, president of NCCEP.
About CollegeEd
(www.collegeboard.com/collegeed)
CollegeEd is an academic, career and college planning program for grades seven-12, developed by the College Board. CollegeEd empowers students and engages families in the college planning process. The program encourages schools to promote rigorous academic standards, parental involvement, and relevant college and community partnerships. CollegeEd has been designed for school or districtwide implementation and assists educators and students in creating a college-going culture within their communities. This is the mission of CollegeEd and the College Board — connecting students to college success.
About NCCEP
The National Council for Community and Education Partnerships serves as the national technical assistance provider, annual conference convener and voice in Washington, D.C., for the GEAR UP program. NCCEP, a nonprofit organization committed to creating and sustaining K-16 education partnerships, works to increase academic achievement and access to higher education for economically disadvantaged students. By building broad-based partnerships, linking schools and communities, developing new initiatives, supporting proven programs, and using research findings to create successful frameworks for action, NCCEP aims to invigorate the principle of equal educational opportunity for all, and to help improve K-16 education in the
About GEAR UP
(www.ed.gov/programs/gearup/index.html)
The GEAR UP program is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. GEAR UP provides six-year grants to states and local partnerships to provide services at high-need middle and high schools. GEAR UP grantees serve an entire cohort of students beginning no later than the seventh grade and follow the cohort through high school. This year GEAR UP celebrates 10 years of successfully serving more than 1.5 million students.
Contacts
Sara Melnick, National Council for Community and Education Partnerships, (202) 530-1135, sara_melnick@edpartnerships.org
Nancy Viggiano, The College Board, (212) 713-8052, nviggiano@collegeboard.org