TEAM GEAR UP is a seven-year partnership led by Milwaukee Public Schools and supported by a comprehensive network of partnerships to strengthen academic preparation, college and career readiness, family engagement, and postsecondary transition supports for more than 4,000 students in 28 MPS schools. SREed serves as the external evaluation partner, helping the project use evidence to monitor implementation, understand progress, and support continuous improvement.
About TEAM GEAR UP
TEAM GEAR UP brings together Milwaukee Public Schools, postsecondary institutions, community organizations, direct-service providers, technical-assistance partners, and evaluators to create a coordinated college- and career-readiness support system for students beginning in the elementary and middle grades and continuing through the first year of postsecondary education.
The project is designed around a stacked continuum of supports, including academic acceleration, tutoring, advising, mentoring, family engagement, dual enrollment, career exposure, financial aid support, college visits, scholarship assistance, and postsecondary transition coaching.
Together, these strategies are intended to help more students:
- Complete Algebra I by the end of 9th grade
- Stay on track for high school graduation
- Graduate from high school on time
- Complete the FAFSA
- Enroll in postsecondary education after high school
- Persist into the second year of postsecondary education
Project Approach
TEAM GEAR UP is built on the idea that college and career readiness develops over time through sustained academic, social, relational, and informational supports. Rather than relying on a single intervention, TGU coordinates multiple partners and services into a coherent pathway from grade 4 through the first year of postsecondary education.
Key activity areas
- Academic acceleration and tutoring to strengthen math and literacy skills
- Advising, mentoring, and case management to support student goal-setting and persistence
- Dual enrollment and credit-bearing coursework to increase access to rigorous learning opportunities
- College and career exposure through visits, events, and work-based learning experiences
- Family engagement to strengthen families’ knowledge of college and career pathways
- Educator professional development to expand instructional capacity and dual-credit opportunities
- Financial aid and FAFSA support to help students and families navigate college affordability
- Postsecondary transition supports to help students enroll and persist after high school
Outcomes and Evaluation Measures
TEAM GEAR UP progress is organized around five federal Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) indicators. These indicators help the project monitor whether students are progressing along key academic and postsecondary milestones.
GPRA 1: Algebra I by 9th Grade – Percent of GEAR UP students who complete Algebra I by the end of 9th grade.
GPRA 2: On-Time High School Graduation – Percent of GEAR UP students who graduate from high school on time.
GPRA 3: FAFSA Completion – Percent of GEAR UP high school graduates who complete the FAFSA.
GPRA 4: Postsecondary Enrollment – Percent of GEAR UP high school graduates who enroll in an institution of higher education in the fall after high school graduation.
GPRA 5: Year-2 Postsecondary Persistence – Percent of GEAR UP postsecondary enrollees who persist to the second year of postsecondary education.