From the archives: 2015 Chicago GEAR UP
The GEAR UP Story at Foreman High School
What you notice about GEAR UP at Foreman is how fully integrated into the school it is. A typical day begins with a meeting between the counseling department and GEAR UP staff. There are two things on the agenda for the day, ACT prep planning and final touches to a joint presentation at the annual CPS counselors’ conference. Ms. Maldonado, Foreman Counselor Department Chair, Tricia Rosado, GEAR UP College Access Coordinator and Kristen Huschitt Mueller, CPS GEAR UP College Access Coach will be presenting at the annual conference, showcasing the FOREMAN MASTER TRACKER demonstrating how they work together to aggregate data to assure that they are reaching each Foreman student as effectively as possible.
They are also working on ACT Prep Planning, which becomes more than test prep, it gives students the opportunity to learn what is means to be college ready. Together with teachers, they’ve identified 3 target areas they believe will have the most impact on students.
As first period begins at the school GEAR UP tutors join classes in session. GEAR UP tutors work closely with Foreman teachers, following their directives about what curriculum support each student needs.
While there are many models for tutoring, at Foreman, tutors fully integrate into the classroom with the students and instructor.
Mr. Vrettos' social science class provides a glimpse into the success of this model.
After he provides a brief introduction, Jessica a college student and GEAR UP tutor moves around the classroom working with those students who stuck or struggling.
She spends time with a student helping her to get on track and then moves on to another student or small group of students.
The teachers find GEAR UP tutors invaluable. The tutors leverage resources in the classroom. having tutors allows teachers to leverage resources within the classroom. It’s not just the individual students who benefit, the whole class benefits! Students become actively engaged in learning if they know there will be someone to to help if they get stuck.
“As the teacher, I simply can’t get to 25 or more students, but when there is someone else helping in the room, it changes the dynamic," says Mr. Vrettos.
Teachers also acknowledge that students are often more willing to admit they aren’t on track to someone who is closer to their age. They feel more comfortable with these near peers as they are often called. Both students and teachers welcome GEAR UP tutors into the classroom.
Edwin, a tutor works in an inclusion classroom. With almost 30 students, the instructors can’t reach everyone in the classroom. “Edwin has helped change the way we teach in the room,” says Ms. Les, Math teacher for the inclusion class. We’re able to reach more of them per class period.
Down the hall in a far wing of the school a parent book club meets. They’ve been reading Your Son, Your Mirror (Tu hijo, tu espejo), a book that explores the relationship between parents and children. Now they’re discussing positive parenting strategies together as well as supporting their child's college aspirations. Are parent expectations realistic? How important is it for parents to understand what their child might want from a college education? How might parent and child visions be the same and also be different? These are questions that they grapple with over cake and coffee. Each parent takes turns bringing in some refreshments for the group. It makes the school feel like a community that welcomes parents.
Support for teachers is just as important as support for parents, and GEAR UP offers a host of services to help teachers improve their instruction through attention to the 4 R’s (rigor, relevance, relationships and reflection). Foreman teachers have taken advantage of Chicago GEAR UP annual conferences, iMATHination and YAL (Young Adult Literature), both created through the Center for College Access and Success. Ms. Genera, math teacher says she’s used almost all of the material she’s accumulated from past iMATHination conferences. The Foreman English Department adopted the use of a Young Adult Literature text for the entire freshman class after attending the YAL Conference.
The Foreman teachers in turn, presented at the following YAL Conference, discussing their strategy for implementing a Units-for-Books GEAR UP mini-grant where teachers are able to earn a class set of books by writing a curriculum unit based on the Inquiry Cycle and other strategies endorsed by the Center for College Access and Success professional development staff.
Dual credit classes are in session. Mr. Miller department chair for the math department gives credit to GEAR UP for helping Foreman launch their robust dual credit program. “We were over at Truman College working with our GEAR UP colleague, Karen Sandler. “ After a successful summer program, she suggested that Foreman participate in a dual credit program with Truman. The rest is history. Foreman launched a dual credit program that has continued to thrive and expand.
The GEAR UP office is housed in the counseling department, and the close working relationship means students benefit from additional GEAR UP counseling support. Ms. Ingram says that they are always looking to expand scholarships, and while GEAR UP students at Foreman have won major scholarship awards including Posse scholarships, they’ve never had a Gates Scholar. “We’re working to change that,” says Ms. Ingram. We’re ready to compete with any of the schools and students in Illinois.”
Finding the right college fit is a priority for students, making sure they select colleges that will help them succeed. They’ve created a list of the top colleges that Foreman students have traditionally enrolled in and for each of those schools, they’ve identified the transition and support programs they have.
“It’s not that these are the only schools we expect our Foreman students to enroll in, but because these are the most popular with students, we want to make sure we know the best resources and strategies for helping them to succeed at these schools.”
It won’t be long before Spring Break and the overnight college trips. Students get to spend several days together on the road away from home experiencing campus environments with their peers. For some students, this is their first time away from home, and they get a taste of what it’s like to be out of the city and at a college. It’s a great early step in helping them not only find the right college match, but to get a feeling for what it will be like living away from home.
Mr. Zimmerman, the principal, finds time to come out and talk about GEAR UP. What’s most important to him more than any particular program is the way that GEAR UP is so completely integrated into the school. That along with the fact that he regards the GEAR UP staff in his building to be highly qualified and very effective problem solvers. The tutors are a good match for the kids, and Tricia Rosado, GEAR UP College Access Coordinator has never turned down a challenge to solve a problem.
GEAR UP arrived a year before the latest cohort group of students, attended departmental meetings, and got to know all the staff.
Kristen Huschitt Mueller the GEAR UP College & Career Coach and part of the GEAR UP leadership at Foreman ensures that direct services to students are sequential and comprehensive and based on data that reflect trends. She regularly conducts career and college readiness workshops and travels with students on field trips to colleges, universities, and college fairs.
On this day, she has students working with a menu, selecting college features. 2 year or 4 year, private or public, rural or urban. Instead of selecting a college by name, she has students identify features that are important to them. This gets students to think beyond the name of a college and expand their thinking about what college will work best for them.
GEAR UP invites guest speakers to come and talk to students about college. On a day in March, there’s a speaker from Eastern Illinois University, one of the top colleges that Foreman students choose. The speaker tells them about services and campus life at Eastern.
Soon to follow will be speakers from Wright Community College, a 2 year community college, Concordia University, a private 4 year, Oakton Community College, an out of district college and more. Students will also work with Ladder Up, another student service provider that GEAR UP helps connect students to.
No matter what the day or service, students are always front and center for GEAR UP and Foreman.
They are also working on ACT Prep Planning, which becomes more than test prep, it gives students the opportunity to learn what is means to be college ready. Together with teachers, they’ve identified 3 target areas they believe will have the most impact on students.
As first period begins at the school GEAR UP tutors join classes in session. GEAR UP tutors work closely with Foreman teachers, following their directives about what curriculum support each student needs.
While there are many models for tutoring, at Foreman, tutors fully integrate into the classroom with the students and instructor.
Mr. Vrettos' social science class provides a glimpse into the success of this model.
After he provides a brief introduction, Jessica a college student and GEAR UP tutor moves around the classroom working with those students who stuck or struggling.
She spends time with a student helping her to get on track and then moves on to another student or small group of students.
The teachers find GEAR UP tutors invaluable. The tutors leverage resources in the classroom. having tutors allows teachers to leverage resources within the classroom. It’s not just the individual students who benefit, the whole class benefits! Students become actively engaged in learning if they know there will be someone to to help if they get stuck.
“As the teacher, I simply can’t get to 25 or more students, but when there is someone else helping in the room, it changes the dynamic," says Mr. Vrettos.
Teachers also acknowledge that students are often more willing to admit they aren’t on track to someone who is closer to their age. They feel more comfortable with these near peers as they are often called. Both students and teachers welcome GEAR UP tutors into the classroom.
Edwin, a tutor works in an inclusion classroom. With almost 30 students, the instructors can’t reach everyone in the classroom. “Edwin has helped change the way we teach in the room,” says Ms. Les, Math teacher for the inclusion class. We’re able to reach more of them per class period.
Down the hall in a far wing of the school a parent book club meets. They’ve been reading Your Son, Your Mirror (Tu hijo, tu espejo), a book that explores the relationship between parents and children. Now they’re discussing positive parenting strategies together as well as supporting their child's college aspirations. Are parent expectations realistic? How important is it for parents to understand what their child might want from a college education? How might parent and child visions be the same and also be different? These are questions that they grapple with over cake and coffee. Each parent takes turns bringing in some refreshments for the group. It makes the school feel like a community that welcomes parents.
Support for teachers is just as important as support for parents, and GEAR UP offers a host of services to help teachers improve their instruction through attention to the 4 R’s (rigor, relevance, relationships and reflection). Foreman teachers have taken advantage of Chicago GEAR UP annual conferences, iMATHination and YAL (Young Adult Literature), both created through the Center for College Access and Success. Ms. Genera, math teacher says she’s used almost all of the material she’s accumulated from past iMATHination conferences. The Foreman English Department adopted the use of a Young Adult Literature text for the entire freshman class after attending the YAL Conference.
The Foreman teachers in turn, presented at the following YAL Conference, discussing their strategy for implementing a Units-for-Books GEAR UP mini-grant where teachers are able to earn a class set of books by writing a curriculum unit based on the Inquiry Cycle and other strategies endorsed by the Center for College Access and Success professional development staff.
Dual credit classes are in session. Mr. Miller department chair for the math department gives credit to GEAR UP for helping Foreman launch their robust dual credit program. “We were over at Truman College working with our GEAR UP colleague, Karen Sandler. “ After a successful summer program, she suggested that Foreman participate in a dual credit program with Truman. The rest is history. Foreman launched a dual credit program that has continued to thrive and expand.
The GEAR UP office is housed in the counseling department, and the close working relationship means students benefit from additional GEAR UP counseling support. Ms. Ingram says that they are always looking to expand scholarships, and while GEAR UP students at Foreman have won major scholarship awards including Posse scholarships, they’ve never had a Gates Scholar. “We’re working to change that,” says Ms. Ingram. We’re ready to compete with any of the schools and students in Illinois.”
Finding the right college fit is a priority for students, making sure they select colleges that will help them succeed. They’ve created a list of the top colleges that Foreman students have traditionally enrolled in and for each of those schools, they’ve identified the transition and support programs they have.
“It’s not that these are the only schools we expect our Foreman students to enroll in, but because these are the most popular with students, we want to make sure we know the best resources and strategies for helping them to succeed at these schools.”
It won’t be long before Spring Break and the overnight college trips. Students get to spend several days together on the road away from home experiencing campus environments with their peers. For some students, this is their first time away from home, and they get a taste of what it’s like to be out of the city and at a college. It’s a great early step in helping them not only find the right college match, but to get a feeling for what it will be like living away from home.
Mr. Zimmerman, the principal, finds time to come out and talk about GEAR UP. What’s most important to him more than any particular program is the way that GEAR UP is so completely integrated into the school. That along with the fact that he regards the GEAR UP staff in his building to be highly qualified and very effective problem solvers. The tutors are a good match for the kids, and Tricia Rosado, GEAR UP College Access Coordinator has never turned down a challenge to solve a problem.
GEAR UP arrived a year before the latest cohort group of students, attended departmental meetings, and got to know all the staff.
Kristen Huschitt Mueller the GEAR UP College & Career Coach and part of the GEAR UP leadership at Foreman ensures that direct services to students are sequential and comprehensive and based on data that reflect trends. She regularly conducts career and college readiness workshops and travels with students on field trips to colleges, universities, and college fairs.
On this day, she has students working with a menu, selecting college features. 2 year or 4 year, private or public, rural or urban. Instead of selecting a college by name, she has students identify features that are important to them. This gets students to think beyond the name of a college and expand their thinking about what college will work best for them.
GEAR UP invites guest speakers to come and talk to students about college. On a day in March, there’s a speaker from Eastern Illinois University, one of the top colleges that Foreman students choose. The speaker tells them about services and campus life at Eastern.
Soon to follow will be speakers from Wright Community College, a 2 year community college, Concordia University, a private 4 year, Oakton Community College, an out of district college and more. Students will also work with Ladder Up, another student service provider that GEAR UP helps connect students to.
No matter what the day or service, students are always front and center for GEAR UP and Foreman.