A program created by U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah to help low-income students get into college will soon be expanded to help students make it through their first year.

Fattah announced the expansion of Gear Up, a federally funded college preparation and scholarship program yesterday at a conference in Washington marking its 10th anniversary.

“One of the big ugly secrets of higher education is that the majority of kids that start don’t get a degree,” said Fattah, a Philadelphia Democrat. “If they [Gear Up students] are stumbling their way through the first year, without academic and other supports, they could have problems.” Gear-Up is a six-year program from seventh through 12th grade. Giving the students a seventh year of support will help boost the numbers who stay in college, he added.

Fattah said the extra year was included in legislation that has passed the committees in both the House and the Senate. Authorization is expected in the fall.
Full Article and Source