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NCCEP Awards $4.5 Million In SBC Foundation Grants To Gear Up Education Partnerships Across The U.S.
NCCEP Awards $4.5 Million In SBC Foundation Grants To Gear Up Education Partnerships Across The U.S.
Published 07-26-04
Submitted by SBC Communications Inc.
Selected through a competitive grants program managed by NCCEP, the SBC Foundation grants will fund 79 collaborative partnerships across the SBC 13-state service area. Sixty existing GEAR UP partnerships will use the funds to support a variety of community-focused education initiatives, including: after-school programs to help students in math, science, reading and technology; training and assistance for teachers in the use of technology in the classroom; and utilizing technology in enhancing measurements of student achievement and program impact. Funds from the SBC Foundation grant also will seed the establishment of 19 new K-16 education partnerships based on the GEAR UP model.
According to a Department of Education study, high academic achievers from low-income families are only one-fifth as likely to enroll in college as similar students from high-income families. GEAR UP seeks to address this disparity through innovative partnerships. The El Paso Community College GEAR UP partnership will use its NCCEP grant to establish computer labs in four Texas high schools and offer seminars to help prepare students for standardized testing. Another grant will create a new community partnership between four Los Angeles high schools and the University of California Los Angeles to improve at-risk students' academic performance and college eligibility through tutoring and counseling services.
"SBC's support of education is built on the belief that every child should have opportunities to succeed," said Forrest Miller, SBC group president of external affairs and planning. "Most of the fastest-growing jobs this decade will require education beyond high school. In supporting GEAR UP, we fund proven effective programs that will provide low-income students with the tools they need to prepare them for lifelong success."
GEAR UP, enacted as a result of Congress' passage of the Higher Education Amendment of 1998, encourages students in grades 6-12 to stay in school and apply for college. The program currently serves 1.2 million students nationwide and more than 2,000 organizations currently participate in GEAR UP partnerships. GEAR UP partnerships typically consist of collaborations between public school districts, universities, community colleges, community groups and/or businesses.
"Research shows that economically disadvantaged students face many more hurdles on the path to a meaningful education and a rewarding career," said Hector Garza, president of NCCEP. "GEAR UP program practices are an effective catalyst for positive impact on benchmarks ranging from standardized test scores to graduation rates. Through the SBC Foundation's generous support, nearly 80 new or expanded GEAR UP programs will help youth from low-income communities succeed in middle and high school and prepare for a college-level education."
"GEAR UP helps ensure that all students have a fair opportunity for a quality education," said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. "By providing vital resources early, the program helps students become more productive members of society and live happier lives. The investment we make in students today will reward us with strong leaders tomorrow."
The $4.5 million in regional GEAR UP grants is part of a $5 million SBC Foundation grant to NCCEP announced in February. GEAR UP projects funded through the grant program were awarded throughout SBC's 13-state operating area, which includes Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin. A full list of local GEAR UP partnerships receiving grants is available at www.edpartnerships.org.
A long-time champion of education reform issues, Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, said of the SBC Foundation grant, "GEAR UP's success is based upon leveraging the input and active participation of teachers, parents, schools, colleges and universities, government, businesses and communities. If our nation is to remain strong, secure and competitive, we can no longer afford to remain on the sidelines in our quest to improve public education and support America's poorest students."
Education is a primary funding area for the SBC Foundation. In 2003, the SBC Foundation provided nearly $18 million to support education initiatives across the nation. Since 1984, SBC Communications and the SBC Foundation have contributed more than $1 billion to nonprofit organizations and affiliates across the country.
The National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) serves as the national technical assistance provider, annual conference convener and voice in Washington, D.C., for the GEAR UP program. NCCEP, a non-profit 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 United States. One of the primary objectives of NCCEP is to promote academic achievement and encourage education reform in schools, colleges and universities.
The SBC Foundation is the charitable giving arm of SBC Communications Inc. The SBC Foundation supports efforts that enrich and strengthen diverse communities nationwide, particularly those with an emphasis on education and technology and those that benefit underserved populations. SBC Foundation-backed programs are designed to increase access to information technologies, broaden technology training and professional skills development, and effectively integrate new technologies to enhance education and economic development. The Chronicle of Philanthropy and The Foundation Center have consistently ranked the SBC Foundation among the nation's top five corporate foundations. In 2002, the SBC Foundation launched SBC Excelerator, a multimillion dollar competitive grants program that funds nonprofit organizations in their efforts to digitally connect communities.
SBC Communications Inc. is a Fortune 50 company whose subsidiaries, operating under the SBC brand, provide a full range of voice, data, networking, e-business, directory publishing and advertising, and related services to businesses, consumers and other telecommunications providers. SBC holds a 60 percent ownership interest in Cingular Wireless, which serves 25 million wireless customers. SBC companies provide high-speed DSL Internet access lines to more American consumers than any other provider and are among the nation's leading providers of Internet services. SBC companies also now offer satellite TV service. Additional information about SBC and SBC products and services is available at www.sbc.com.
