Fattah to Address GEAR UP Annual Conference in Washington

The architect of the nation's most successful college readiness program will serve as plenary speaker at Monday's opening ceremony

News provided by

Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah

Jul 20, 2014, 04:35 ET

WASHINGTON, July 20, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA), architect of GEAR UP, will address education reform practitioners, business and community partners, policymakers and students at the program's annual conference tomorrow, July 21, in Washington.

This year's conference, "A Dream Realized," is celebrating the program's 15^th anniversary. Created by Fattah and signed into law by President Clinton in 1998, GEAR UP has provided more than $4.5 billion to expand college access and readiness for low-income students in 48 states, five territories, and the District of Columbia. The New America Foundation has called it "the most promising" program to help improve college readiness and enrollment rates.

Fattah will serve as plenary speaker at Monday's opening ceremony event, which will bring thousands of GEAR UP stakeholders together to launch the week-long conference. The opening event includes the annual "Roll Call of the GEAR UP States," which will highlight all 42 states currently receiving GEAR UP funding. During his remarks, Fattah will reflect on the decade-plus success of the program, and discuss the need for increased federal support for college access initiatives. He will also deliver remarks Wednesday on Capitol Hill to attendees during a Congressional briefing, "GEAR UP: Supporting Low-Income Students and Families on Their Journey to Succeed in College and Beyond."

The annual GEAR UP conference is sponsored by the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education. For more details and a full schedule of conference events visit: http://www.edpartnerships.org/conferences-training/events/2013/03/05/annual-conference.

WHO:	Congressman Chaka Fattah

WHAT:	Plenary Speaker at the GEAR UP Annual Conference Opening Ceremony

WHEN:	9:00 AM, Monday, July 21, 2014

WHERE:	Washington Hilton – International Ballroom
	1919 Connecticut Avenue NW