Students Training for Academic Readiness (STAR): Year Two Evaluation Report

The federal Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, project strives to equalize low-income students' access to higher education by increasing their participation in rigorous coursework, providing expanded opportunities for low-income students and parents to learn about postsecondary educational opportunities and financing options, and forging strong partnerships between school districts, colleges, and community support groups. Created as part of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965, GEAR UP began in 1998 as a system of federally funded grants targeted to schools in which at least 50% of students are designated as low income by their eligibility for free- or reduced-price lunches. In 2006, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) applied for and received a state grant to administer a GEAR UP project in six Gulf Coast area school districts in which "a college education seems almost impossible" for many students (TEA, GEAR UP grant application, 2006). The state project, Students Training for Academic Readiness, or STAR, will receive approximately $18 million in federal funding across six school years (about $3 million each project year) to implement GEAR UP in the six STAR districts. Each district is eligible to receive funding ranging from $125,000 to $250,000 annually for each year of the grant and must provide matching funds equivalent to at least 101.55% of the federal contribution. This report presents information on the second year (2007-08) of the STAR project, making comparisons, where appropriate, to first year (2006-07) findings and baseline data collected for the 2005-06 school year. Report chapters rely on data collected through paper and pencil surveys of middle and high school students; an online survey of STAR teachers, counselors, and librarians; and a telephone survey of parents of students enrolled in STAR campuses; as well as data collected through interviews with administrators and counselors in STAR districts, focus group discussions with teachers on STAR campuses, and observations in STAR core content area classrooms. In addition, the report incorporates archival data drawn from TEA's Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) and Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS), the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and College Board reports. Chapter 1 provides a brief summary of the college readiness literature and an overview of the components of the STAR project