Berea College awarded U.S. Department of Education grant to help Girls in Math, Science

Grant is one of 13 Awarded Nation-wide Totaling $2.4 Million to Support Girls in Technical Education and Keep At-Risk Students in School

Berea College has received a federal grant to support a project helping low-income Appalachian and African American high school women strengthen their skills in science and math.   The grant, which will provide more than $214,000 annually for four years, will be administered through the GEAR UP program at Berea College.  The Berea College GEAR UP program serves over 4,000 high school and middle school students in five surrounding counties, in partnership with more than 700 teachers in 16 schools, already providing a wide range of programs and services aimed at preparing students to prepare for and be successful in college.  The new program will begin Oct. 1.

Announcement of the grants was made earlier this summer coinciding with the 37th anniversary of Title IX.  U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and an all-star line-up of women athletes and scientists for a roundtable discussion on the landmark legislation and the announcement of first year grants totaling $2.4 million to 13 groups nation-wide.

“These grants go hand-in-glove with our efforts to improve equity and access for women and girls in the classroom and on the playing field,” Duncan said. “While much has been accomplished since Title IX was enacted, we must continue to push for further progress. Fairness and equity continue to be important issues that contribute to gaps in achievement between students. For this reason, the Obama Administration strives to remove the obstacle of gender discrimination as a way to increase access to college and careers for all students.”

The four-year grants were made under the Women’s Educational Equity Act Program within the Department of Education. The program provides financial assistance to enable educational agencies to meet the requirements of Title IX. The grantees were selected from 63 eligible applicants. Grantees received additional points if their projects included activities to help at-risk students meet challenging state academic standards and graduate. All of the awardees will serve females at the secondary level.

In addition to Berea College, the Jefferson County Board of Education was the only other grant recipient in Kentucky.  The 13 grantees and their first-year funding amounts are as follows:

For abstracts on the grantees, visit Women’s Educational Equity

U.S. Dept. of Education Contact: David Thomas
(202) 401-1579 or