What is the CUNY Middle Grades Initiative/GEAR UP?

Who are we?

The Middle Grades Initiative (MGI) is a program of the Office of Academic Affairs at the City University of New York (CUNY). In the fall of 2005, program coordinators, advisors, and tutors from five CUNY colleges began working with over 1,300 6th- and 7th-graders at eleven small secondary schools in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens. In the fall of 2006, we will introduce more students into our program. For a list of participating schools and colleges, please click here.

In fall 2006, CUNY received a six-year GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) partnership grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support MGI. GEAR UP is a federal grant program aimed at increasing the number of low-income students prepared to enter and succeed in college. If you are a 7th-grader during the 2006–2007 academic year, you are in our GEAR UP cohort.

What does that mean? That means that you will receive the same valuable services as other MGI students such as tutoring, advising, appointments with your MGI/GEAR UP Program Coordinator, field trips, college visits, summer programs, and more.

What do we do?

In a nutshell, MGI strives to enrich the social and academic experiences of middle school students and better prepare them for rigorous high school and college-level work. MGI students have tutors in their English and math classes who help them understand the classroom material and offer other academic support. MGI students also have scheduled activities or drop-in hours with advisors, who help students think about college and careers. Advisors are also there to offer social and emotional support to students when they need it. Ultimately, MGI hopes that once they get into high school, our students will be prepared to take college-level courses through CUNY's College Now Program and, at particular schools, the CUNY Early College Initiative.

Here are some more things MGI will be doing this year:

• Holding college awareness activities for students and their families;
• Visiting colleges in the New York City area;
• Working with students to set academic goals for this year and next;
• Involving boys in all activities to ensure that they remain engaged in school and focused on future college success;
• Providing additional advising and counseling to help students navigate their middle and high school course work;
• Going on field trips to see plays, dance performances, and other fun arts-related events.