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Board of Education Meeting Date: 6/11/2020
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| | | | | | | | Action under consideration
| The Administration recommends that the Board of Education authorize The School District of Philadelphia, through the Superintendent or his designee, to execute and perform a contract, subject to funding, as follows:
| | With: Student Success Academy LLC
| | Purpose:
To provide services to GEAR UP first year college students (a requirement of the grant) to support successful college matriculation
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| | | | | | | | | Start date: 7/1/2020
| | End date: 6/30/2021
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| | | | | | | | | Compensation not to exceed: $88,000
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| | | | | | | | | Location:
Franklin, Benjamin High School; Edison, Thomas A. High School; Fels, Samuel High School; Frankford High School; High School of The Future; Kensington High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA); Kensington Health Sciences Academy; King, Martin Luther High School; Overbrook High School; Penn Treaty High School; West Philadelphia High School
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| | | | | | | | | Description:
The School District is a recipient of the GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) grant. GEAR UP is typically a six-year grant program designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in post-secondary education. Unlike in previous years, this GEAR UP grant includes a seventh year to continue to support students through their first year of college. Twelve District high schools currently participate in GEAR UP. In the 12 GEAR UP schools, the average rate of college enrollment is 29%; and 64% of those students continue onto their second year of college. Overall, only 10% of students in GEAR UP schools earn a bachelor’s degree within six years. In an effort to increase this rate, the GEAR UP office has selected the Student Success Agency (SSA) to provide peer mentorship to GEAR UP students throughout their first year of college. Peer mentorship is linked to overall increases in student retention, grades, and engagement. SSA works with GEAR UPs around the country to provide an online mentoring program that includes all the documentation needed to effectively track students through GEAR UP objectives and college. SSA recruits, trains, and manages top-tier college student advisors using a rigorous and highly selective hiring process. Successful applicants become Student Advisors who provide e-mentorship (including tutoring, financial coaching, and college advising) through a safe and secure process.
Only students who graduate from one of the 12 GEAR UP schools and are enrolled in a college or university are eligible to participate. Participation in the SSA mentorship program is highly encouraged but voluntary. Students can self-enroll with assistance from the District’s GEAR UP office beginning in July 2020. Participating students will be matched with a mentor from SSA who will provide mentorship throughout the entire first year of college via a unique, safe, and secure phone number provided to both the mentee and the mentor by the agency. Once a student is paired with their mentor, they are able to begin the mentorship process via text/call/email. Although SSA handles the mentorship process from that point forward, GEAR UP staff will receive monthly reports (including the number of contacts, duration, and type of support provided) which will be used for required grant documentation. This is the first year the School District/GEAR UP will be providing services to students post-graduation to support successful college matriculation. As such, our goal is to utilize SSA services in combination with other efforts to increase the rate of second-year college matriculation. For GEAR UP students who choose not to continue onto college immediately after high school graduation, GEAR UP services will end as mandated by the grant.
| | Anchor Goal(s) Supported:
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| | | | | | | | | Office Originating Request: Board of Education
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