Mayor Muriel Bowser is leading the charge in our nation’s capital by declaring, “Strong communities and a skilled and well-educated workforce are the backbone of the District
of Columbia’s continued economic growth.” We are heeding the call by helping OSSE secure and implement a $21M GEAR UP grant. The project is expanding access to rigorous coursework and career exploration opportunities. EduSolve is providing mentoring and support services for social emotional development that leads to college and career transferable skills. The DC GEAR UP project will also drive increases in local average rates of high school graduation, postsecondary enrollment, and postsecondary completion. The vision of the project is for 80 percent of the DC GEAR UP students to graduate from high school in four years, 80 percent enroll in postsecondary education within one year, for 100 percent of the DC GEAR UP graduates to receive the GEAR UP scholarship and 70 percent of the enrollees complete a postsecondary degree within 6 years.