[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 11] [House] [Pages 15683-15686] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL GEAR UP DAY Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1311) expressing support for the designation of National GEAR UP Day. The Clerk read the title of the resolution. The text of the resolution is as follows: H. Res. 1311 Whereas Congress created the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) in 1998 to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education; Whereas increasing the number of low-income students who complete postsecondary education is critical to the health and vitality of our communities and the Nation as a whole; Whereas GEAR UP is currently providing essential college preparatory services to 640,000 students in over 5,000 schools across 46 States, the District of Columbia, America Samoa, Palau, and Puerto Rico; Whereas GEAR UP students are taking more rigorous and advanced courses, graduating from high school and enrolling in postsecondary education at rates significantly higher than their low-income peers; Whereas these remarkable achievements are attributable to the selfless dedication of the students, families, education professionals, and business and community leaders involved in GEAR UP; Whereas the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships and the Department of Education work in partnership to provide technical assistance and host national conferences to strengthen GEAR UP programs throughout the Nation; and Whereas July 22, 2008, would be an appropriate day to designate as National GEAR UP Day: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives expresses support for the designation of a National GEAR UP Day. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule the gentleman from New York (Mr. Higgins) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Davis) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York. General Leave Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from New York? There was no objection. Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, at this time, I would yield 3 minutes to the sponsor of the bill, Chaka Fattah, the gentleman from Pennsylvania. Mr. FATTAH. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Let me thank my colleague, Danny Davis, for helping to move this bill to the floor out of committee. And I also want to thank all 74 of the additional cosponsors, and this is bipartisan cosponsorship, as this program, GEAR UP, has always enjoyed bipartisan support. I want to thank Mark Souder and Tom Cole. And I also want to acknowledge the great staff work that has been done by William Miles and also the In Step organization which is the major national organization working with GEAR UP. And we will be hosting them here on the Hill. [[Page 15684]] This acknowledges the great success of this program, over $2.7 billion Federal investment over the last 10 years. We are in the 10- year anniversary. We see graduation rates from high school, for the largest early college awareness program in our country's history, off the charts. Some 85 percent of GEAR UP students graduated from high school, a full 20-plus points ahead of where low-income students unfortunately now graduate from high school. We see this in hundreds and hundreds of programs across our country. In rural and urban areas, on Native American reservations and State programs and in partnership programs, GEAR UP has been a tremendous success, something that in a bipartisan way this Congress can take great pride in. And as the architect of the original legislation, I'm very proud to come and ask the Congress to support this resolution, naming this National GEAR UP Day. I spoke to the almost 2,000 attendees at the national bureau conference yesterday. I had my wife and my two young daughters, Cameron and Chandler, with me. It was a great occasion to see and meet people from 48 States with, now, GEAR UP programs. And many of our territories also are represented, from Guam and Puerto Rico. It is a tremendous success to see the college-going rate among this population of GEAR UP students, now over 2 million young people being served at 60-plus percent, 64 percent of them going on to college. I do want to acknowledge the great work of my colleague from southwest Texas, Ruben Hinojosa, who has led and chairs the subcommittee on Higher Education. Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution designating today, July 22, 2008, as National GEAR UP Day. Signed into law in 1998, Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, GEAR UP, is a program to help increase the number of low- income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. GEAR UP provides 6-year matching grants to States and partnerships to offer services at high-poverty middle and high schools. Grantees serve an entire range of students from seventh grade through graduation from high school. Thanks to the passion and dedication of students, families, educators and local communities, GEAR UP has touched the lives of more than 2 million young people from underserved backgrounds. At present, GEAR UP provides college preparatory services to 640,000 students in over 5,000 schools across 46 States, the District of Columbia, and territories abroad. From California to New York, Puerto Rico to American Samoa, GEAR UP students are taking more rigorous courses, graduating from high school and enrolling in postsecondary education at rates that are significantly higher than their low-income peers. Through these grants and scholarships, underprivileged students are being introduced to a wealth of opportunities otherwise not afforded them. Their experience and educational success serves as a model to their peers and is vital to the health of our communities. My kids attended a school, the Glasgow Intermediate School in Alexandria in Fairfax County, where we saw literally dozens of students each year sign up for GEAR UP and improve their academic ratings and potential and go on to college later on as a result of this program. It has made a difference. And I urge my colleagues to support this resolution in an effort to elevate our Nation's awareness of this important program. It's as true now as ever that children are our future. And this program provides a significant and valuable step toward providing quality educational opportunities to our underprivileged youth. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, I would now yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas, Representative Hinojosa. Mr. HINOJOSA. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1311, a resolution to express support for the designation of a National GEAR UP Day. I would like to commend the authors of this resolution, my good friend from Philadelphia, Representative Chaka Fattah, and my colleague on the Education and Labor Committee, Representative Mark Souder of Indiana. They're tremendous advocates for making the promise of GEAR UP a reality for all of our youth. GEAR UP addresses the key factors necessary to successfully navigate the college process: The aspiration to go to college, the academic preparation, understanding the admissions and financial aid processes, and having the financial resources to pay for college. GEAR UP mobilizes the community to address these factors by using Federal resources to leverage State, local and private sector resources. GEAR UP offers a simple but very powerful bargain. It tells students and families that if you stay in school and take the challenging classes, our community will guarantee that you have the financial aid and support you need to go to college. We have seen the power of this new bargain in south Texas. With our first generation of GEAR UP partnerships, we have seen high school graduation rates and college preparedness soar. We have seen unprecedented growth in our college enrollment. We are fortunate to have a second generation of GEAR UP programs in south Texas. Between the Region One Education Service Center and the University of Texas Pan American GEAR UP project, we will reach over 17,000 students and their families, over 95 percent Hispanic, nearly all economically disadvantaged and the first generation to go to college. Through GEAR UP, these students and families not only know that college is possible, but they also will know how to make it a reality, forever changing the aspirations and expectations of our entire region. {time} 1715 Today I had the tremendous honor of hosting a GEAR UP delegation of more than 100 parents, students and staff from Region 1 and the University of Texas Pan American. I would like to congratulate them for representing our area so well at the national GEAR UP gathering going on here in Washington. I shared with them the Chaka Fattah story and how he introduced it and how I heard the story and told him I am committed, passionate about education, and I think this is the best thing that has come out since sliced bread, I told Chaka, and I worked hard to get the numbers we needed to pass this. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired. Mr. HIGGINS. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds. Mr. HINOJOSA. I say that Chaka Fattah is absolutely to be known here in Washington and in Congress for the great work he did in making GEAR UP the success story that it is. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution; and more importantly, to support the expansion of the GEAR UP program in their districts and across the Nation. Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time. Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis). Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1311, and I want to commend my colleague from Pennsylvania, Representative Chaka Fattah, for his introduction of this legislation, and I also want to commend my colleague on the Education Committee and the chairman of the Higher Education Subcommittee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa). I have spent, Madam Speaker, practically all of my life engaged with low-income communities, low-income people, low-income students. And I can tell you that I can't think of any legislative enactment that has done more to assist low-income students to experience this commodity that we call higher education. And so Representative Fattah, I don't know if you will ever pass another piece of legislation as good as [[Page 15685]] this one. I don't know how much longer you will stay in Congress, but I can tell you one thing, if you never pass another one, you did this one and it is one of the best, one of the most effective, one of the greatest that I have seen, and so I commend you for it. I commend again the chairperson of our committee in Education, Representative Hinojosa. And, Madam Speaker, I think it is a great day because there is a group of people sitting in my office right now who are GEAR UP representatives, and I told them that I was going to have to leave them to come here, but I commend them for all of the great work that they continue to do. Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, on behalf of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to stand in consideration and support of H. Res. 1311 which expresses the sense of the House that today, July 22, ought to be designated as National GEAR UP Day. The Federal education program GEAR UP, which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, is designed to foster partnerships amongst schools, school districts, business entities, and colleges and universities in order to improve public education and to increase low-income students' access to post-secondary education. The author of the original legislation that created GEAR UP nearly 10 years ago, Congressman Chaka Fattah, serves as a sponsor of H. Res. 1311 and is joined by his colleagues, Representatives Hinojosa, Souder, Danny Davis, and 70 other Members of this body, Members who recognize the difference that attaining a quality education in a college or technical degree can make in a person's life. H. Res. 1311 was introduced on June 26, 2008, and was considered by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on July 16 where it was approved favorably by voice vote. Madam Speaker, the sole purpose of GEAR UP is to encourage millions of young Americans to succeed in middle and secondary school, to study hard and to make right choices to be prepared for college, and ultimately degree completion. Unlike any other Federal program, GEAR UP, through its partnerships, State projects and the thousands of practitioners that carry out its mission, has provided direct services to millions of aspiring students throughout every corner of our country. From tutorial services right here in our Nation's capital to precollege workshops and career fairs held at Buffalo State College in my home State of New York, GEAR UP is telling children that despite your circumstances you too can start early, set high expectations and be prepared to pursue and succeed in post-secondary education. From the GEAR UP American Samoa Community College program to the dozens of University of California GEAR UP sites, this program is shaping and developing a whole new generation of leaders and scholars. For this reason, I stand to join my colleagues, the thousands of GEAR UP professionals here with us today on the Hill, and the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships in support of designating July 22 as National GEAR UP Day. In celebration of the program's 10 years of success, I urge my colleagues to vote in support of H. Res. 1311. Mr. SOUDER. Madam Speaker, I wish to speak in support of this resolution. Ten years ago, Mr. Speaker, I worked with Congressman Fattah to author GEAR-UP, and it has been a delight to continue to work with him throughout my congressional career to support this important initiative. For example, as part of the ongoing higher education reauthorization, we were recently able to improve the program to encourage more funding for college scholarships. So I was very pleased to be able to introduce this bipartisan resolution with the Congressman expressing support for the designation of a National GEAR UP Day. Over the past ten years, GEAR UP has sent countless disadvantaged students to college, including many participants in Indiana's 21st Century Scholars program. It is fitting now to look back and appreciate all the success we have seen. According to the U.S. Department of Education, for example, more than 85 percent of the second class of GEAR UP students graduated from high school in 2006, a rate 20 percent higher than other low-income students and more than 10 percent above the total average for all students. Madam Speaker, as we mark GEAR UP's 10-year anniversary, it is also fitting to discuss the many challenges that still face lower-income students attempting to finish college. These challenges are many and varied, but there is certainly more that the Federal Government can do. GEAR UP is an excellent example of the type of program that can make a real difference in kids' lives, but it is also a reminder that tough work lies ahead. I look forward to working with Congressman Fattah and other members on both sides of the aisle to find more solutions to the problems facing these communities. Madam Speaker, I congratulate GEAR UP for a very successful first decade, and wish it even more success in the years ahead. Once again, I strongly support this resolution and ask that my colleagues support it as well. Mr. HONDA. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1311, supporting the designation of July 22, 2008 as National GEAR UP Day. Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) serves to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. Through the hard work of program staff, students, families, and educators, GEAR UP has proven to be an incredibly successful program, providing services at high-poverty middle and high schools. This year marks the 10th Anniversary since Congress established the GEAR UP program, exemplifying our commitment towards providing a quality education to the disadvantaged youth of America. In a society that depends on, and rewards, those who have a strong educational background, lagging behind can have severe consequences. In this day and age, when our country has transitioned from a post- industrial economy into a knowledge based economy, investing in education is more important than ever, and a high school degree is seen as one of the first steps towards achieving that quality education. Research has shown that having a high school degree significantly increases an individual's annual earnings and labor force participation rates, and that these rates increase with greater educational attainment. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 8.9 percent of 15-24 year-old students from low-income families dropped out during grades 10-12 in 2005, compared to 3.8 percent from middle-income and 1.5 percent from high-income families. In the same year, 53.5 percent of high school graduates from low-income families enrolled in college immediately after high school, compared to 65.1 percent of middle-income students and 81.2 percent of high-income students. GEAR UP is currently focused on three objectives to reduce the disadvantages low-income students face compared to their middle-income and high-income peers: increasing academic performance and preparation for postsecondary education, increasing high school graduation and post-secondary enrollment rates, and increasing students' and their families' knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation, and financing. These efforts are working--in 2006, 85.5 percent of the second cohort of GEAR UP students graduated from high school. This remarkable graduation rate is well above those of other low-income students who did not participate in GEAR UP (64 percent) and all students nationally (73.9 percent). While the effects of GEAR UP are evident, there are currently many low-income students who are unable to participate in the program and many areas in which the program can improve. We need to raise awareness and bolster discussions about how to tailor GEAR UP for all of our low- income students. Recognizing July 22nd, 2008 as National GEAR UP Day could provide the opportunity for conversation about the challenges and opportunities faced by lower income students and will recognize the success of so many who have defied expectations. Funding is also vital towards the successful implementation and expansion of GEAR UP, and as a Member of the Appropriations Committee, I will work to ensure improved funding for GEAR UP and other critical Federal programs focused on improving educational opportunities, supporting the work of teachers and schools, and increasing access to higher education. Mr. COLE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak on behalf of the resolution honoring The Gaining Early Awareness and [[Page 15686]] Readiness for Undergraduate Program. I would also like to thank Mr. Fattah for introducing this bill. He has been a wonderful advocate for the GEAR UP program. Madam Speaker, The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP) is designed to increase the number of low income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. Over the last ten years, this program has met with unprecedented success. As we all know, postsecondary education contributes to the well-being of individuals and their communities and helps to build a more vibrant, open-minded and stronger society. The GEAR UP staff members work with students to help them create personal accounts that allow them to explore colleges and careers, discover ways to plan and pay for college, and apply for colleges online. Even more significantly, students participating in GEAR UP programs have a high school graduation rate almost ten points above other low-income students who are not in the program. While the GEAR UP program across the nation has met with tremendous achievement, I would like to draw attention to my home state of Oklahoma which has been one of the front runners in GEAR UP programs. Oklahoma began this program in 1999, making it one of the oldest GEAR UP Programs in the nation. Since Oklahoma has one of the strongest GEAR UP programs in the country, other educators from other states regularly visit Oklahoma to learn about new and innovative ways to implement the program. So far, the efforts have served over 31,000 students throughout the state. Madam Speaker, as a result of GEAR UP, participation in Postsecondary Education has increased 10 percent over the last 10 years overall in the state, and there has been a dramatic increase in participation by minority students. The number of African American students going to college in Oklahoma is up 41 percent, Native Americans attending college has increased 55 percent, and the number of Hispanic students attending college is up 80 percent! These figures are just amazing. Also, fewer students in Oklahoma are taking remedial courses during their first year of college. In fact, Oklahoma has one of the lowest remediation rates in the nation. The GEAR UP Program has also significantly increased the number of students enrolled in Oklahoma's Promise scholarship program which targeted at low income students. Participation in the scholarship program is up 50 percent since 2005. In addition to the overall state grant, Oklahoma's universities and local school districts have 8 GEAR UP partnership grants. These partnership grants serve local school districts and have over $10 million in funding annually from a combination of state and federal dollars that will go towards Oklahoma's educational system. Madam Speaker, one of these partnership schools, Eastern Oklahoma State College, hosted a summer camp for students enrolled in the program. The camp is designed to establish a positive direction for the students' future and encourage them to make positive decisions. Recently, our office received literally hundreds of letters from Middle and early High School students detailing their experiences with the GEAR UP summer camp. These low-income youth all detailed that they fully enjoyed the programs that GEAR UP guided and that some are now considering college a an option. The vast majority of these letters said that the students would participate again and hope to continue GEAR UP through high school. The results of GEAR UP are clear. This program has helped thousands of students reach college over the last ten years, and I urge my colleagues to vote for this resolution commending its marked success. Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Higgins) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1311. The question was taken. The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it. Mr. FATTAH. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. ____________________