Tyler GEAR UP Grant Project Under Construction

Principals (seated) from the four TISD schools partnering with UT Tyler and regional business leaders (standing) in the Tyler GEAR UP grant project put their best hat on to begin building the foundation for the grant project.

Key partners of the Tyler GEAR UP grant project met Oct. 6 at The University of Texas at Tyler to begin training for the project.

Principals and teachers from the four schools of Tyler Independent School District who are partnering with UT Tyler and regional business leaders were given an overview of the grant and involved in a training session. The schools include Boulter Middle School, Dogan Middle School, Stewart Middle School and John Tyler High School.

The Tyler GEAR UP program, which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.

“Every child should be prepared to go to college, but that doesn’t mean every child should go to college. There are options such as technical, vocational and beauty schools, but it should be the student’s choice, not their only option,” said Dr. Peggy Gill, director of the Tyler GEAR UP project and UT Tyler associate professor of educational leadership and policies.

Dr. Gill wrote the grant proposal last spring and was awarded a U.S. Department of Education grant of more than $518,000 for the first year. The six-year renewable grant will total $3.1 million.

The grant entails five sub-systems: professional development, parent involvement, academic support, educational partnerships and data-driven decision making.

Tyler GEAR UP partners include Tyler ISD, Tyler Junior College, The Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce, the Ministerial Alliance and the UT Tyler Student Athlete Advisory Committee.