In the challenging world of Native American education, South Dakota’s GEAR UP program stands as a shining success story. GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) aims to prepare students – most of them Native American – for success at the college level. Currently, only about 2 percent of students enrolled in the state’s public universities are Native American.

This year’s GEAR UP Summer Academy drew about 225 students to the School of Mines campus in Rapid City. High school students from across the state participated in five weeks of academic training designed to prepare them for postsecondary work. GEAR UP also includes a component for junior high students, who study at schools closer to home.

Academy students live on campus throughout the five weeks, which adds a learning component other than pure academics, explained Keith Moore, director of Indian education, South Dakota Department of Education. “This exposure to college life is important too, since many of these students are first-generation college students,” he said.

GEAR UP has been around South Dakota, under various names, for about 16 years. Several years ago, the South Dakota Department of Education and its partner, the Oceti Sakowin Education Consortium, applied for a federal grant to expand the program’s reach. The program had been serving 80 students. With federal funding, the number of students served at the academy has more than doubled, and year-round academic activities have been added.

The success rate of previous academy graduates has been impressive. According to statistics from the Oceti Sakowin Education Consortium, 100 percent of its participants graduated from high school, 85 percent attended college, and 7 percent entered the military. “Looking at the numbers, we knew this was an exemplary model, and we wanted to expand it so more students would benefit,” Moore said.

“Sometimes when we’re talking about Native American education, we get hung up on the challenges,” Moore said. “It’s also important that we focus on the positives, and GEAR UP is definitely a positive. This program is having a tremendous impact – one student, and one family, at a time.”