The GEAR-UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) program at Olive Vista Middle School is a federally funded project designed to provide the support system needed in order for our students to be prepared to attend and be successful in college. GEAR-UP is a five-year partnership project between Olive Vista Middle School, California State University at Northridge (CSUN), Sylmar High School, Mission College and the Northeast Valley Urban Village Initiative (NEVUVI). During the five years of the $7.6 million GEAR-UP project, over 4,500 of Olive Vista Middle School’s students and their families will have the opportunity to participate in activities that will provide them with both the information and academic support they need to make a college education for our students a reality.

Community & Parent Involvement

The GEAR-UP project at Olive Vista Middle School has a strong and active community and parent component to provide parents the support and information they need to guide their child towards a college education.

“COLLEGE MAKING IT HAPPEN” is a day for students and their families to visit CSUN and discover how a college education is attainable.

The PARENT INSTITUTE will provide training for parents to help them help their children be successful in school.

The Northeast Valley Urban Village Initiative (NEVUVI) will provide a link between the community, parents and the schools in an effort to improve both the economic and educational factors effecting the community.

Tutors

A major component of the GEAR-UP project is providing trained college students as classroom tutors. At the beginning of the 1999-2000 spring semester, over 60 trained tutors from both CSUN and Mission College arrived on Olive Vista’s campus. These tutors received training in classroom strategies by a combination of CSUN personnel and experienced trainers from the Los Angeles County of Education (LACOE) and the AVID program. The tutors will be working with students and teachers to support the goals of academic achievement and high expectations for all students.
         
Staff Development

Staff members are receiving training on strategies designed to improve student achievement in literacy and math, brain-based learning and learning design models. A wide range of instructional materials to support these areas has been purchased and is available to all staff members in our library resource center.

Program Contacts

Paul Burns – GEAR-UP Coordinator
Warren Furumoto – Project Director
Kay Inaba – NEVUVI Director
Chile Nakamura – Parent Representative