Colorado GEAR UP is the state's program to prepare low-income students for college. Now entering the fourth year of its second cycle, 2005-11, the program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education. It is managed by the Colorado Department of Higher Education on behalf of the Governor's Office. Our Vision is to engage and enable Colorado's low-income and academically needy students and to encourage and support their path to college access and success. Paradoxically (and disproportionately), Colorado's highly educated population includes far too few of Colorado's high school graduates.Our Mission is to close the Colorado Achievement Gap, as it relates to college admissions and graduation, to prepare all students to meet rigorous expectations and to level the playing field for Colorado's low-income students. Of the 750,000 students attending Colorado Public Schools, some 250,000 qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch. The majority come from families in which no one has ever attended college. To learn about how you can become a Colorado GEAR UP student, please contact us at 303-866-2723 or visit our webpage www.coloradogearup.org