Guide to GEAR UP in Texas
Project ReACH
Sul Ross State University.
Name of Project:
Project ReACH
Website:
http://www.sulross.edu/pages/5213.asp
Director's Name:
Aster Trevino
Director's Contact Number:
432-837-8807
Director's Email:
atrevino@sulross.edu
Years of Grant:
2005-2011
Type of Grant:
Cohort
Districts/Demographics:
Alpine, Marfa, Marathon, Presidio, Terlingua, Sanderson, Valentine, Van Horn, Sierra Blanca, Pecos, Grand Falls, Buena Vista, Balmorhea, and Fort Stockton school districts. Among the districts served, 82 percent of students are Hispanic, 72 percent are eligible for free and reduced priced lunches, and 18 percent have limited English proficiency. Only 58 percent of all students met Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills standardized test criteria in 2004, dropout rates between seventh and 12th grades average 25 percent, and high school graduation and postsecondary enrollment rates are as low as 70 percent and 33 percent respectively.
Number of Students Served:
665
Brief Description of Program:
Project ReACH begins with Individual Education Plans to identify students’ unique needs and specifies services to meet those needs. Tutoring, after-school programs of academic success skills and field trips to historical and cultural sites, annual weeklong summer programs of intensive instruction, college and financial aid workshops and individual counseling sessions, mentoring, and 21st Century Scholar events are designed to meet their needs. SRSU offers scholarships to top graduates with unmet need enrolling in 2011. A broad-based faculty development program of workshops and supporting self-study addresses effective instructional techniques – such as interactive learning and reinforcing basic skills across the curriculum. Planned outcomes include 2 percent annual increases in standardized test scores, GPAs of 2.5 or more among 80 percent of participants, 90 percent promotion and high school graduation rates, and, in 2011, college enrollment rates equaling national averages.