WASHINGTON — If you ever gave U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Penn., a microphone and a roomful of people, he would not hesitate to proclaim the GEAR UP program that he created nearly two decades ago as the nation’s “largest and most successful college readiness and access program.”
That’s what he did a few years back when he held his “chairman’s ball” at the annual convening of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and at various panel discussions and annual conferences in the nation’s capital over the years.
But Fattah’s championing of the program stretches back to 1998, when President Clinton signed it into law.
“From the very beginning, Rep. Fattah worked tirelessly to ensure broad support for the GEAR UP program among members of Congress,” said Ranjit Sidhu, president and CEO of the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships, or NCCEP, which advocates for the GEAR UP program, a competitive grant program currently funded at $322 million through 125 awards.
