A $4.15 million federal grant awarded to the Eastern Arizona College will give seventh-grade students new opportunities to learn important academic skills and focus on future careers.

The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs — or GEAR-UP — grant is aimed at increasing the number of low-income students who are prepared to succeed in post-secondary education, Eldon Woodall, the college’s grant projects coordinator, told the EAC Governing Board on Sept. 17.

The grant money – $691,000 a year for six years for a total of $4.15 million – will be used to provide several services to seventh-grade students in participating schools and their families for the next six years, Woodall said. “If we do our jobs and make this work, there will be $153,000 in scholarships for these students (when they graduate from high school),” Woodall said.

Participating school districts include the Fort Thomas School District in Graham County and Clifton School District in Greenlee County. Several schools in Gila and Apache counties as well as Dine College — a Navajo community college — are also participating in the GEAR-UP program.

Safford, Solomon and Pima school districts were invited to participate but declined because of a matching funds requirement, according to a summary of the program.

Safford School District Superintendent Mark Tregaskes said while the program is beneficial, it was not economically feasible for Safford to participate. The program also does not address the needs of Safford students.

“That was not the fit that would have worked out well for us,” he said.

Thatcher, Morenci and Duncan school districts did not qualify for participation in the program because less than 50 percent of their students are in the free and reduced-price lunch programs at their respective schools, Woodall said.

The grant money will also be used for teacher professional development, curriculum mapping, college visits and increasing the number of college preparatory classes.

According to Woodall, the class of 2014 — this year’s seventh-graders — will participate in ongoing classes, counseling, interventions and after-school programs through middle school and high school. An estimated 865 students are expected to participate.

“We’re going to be encouraging students to become more involved in education,” Woodall said. “We’re really going to concentrate on college and career awareness.”

EAC and Dine will provide professional training and counseling. EAC will provide a project director and administrative assistant. There will also be a coordinator for schools in the northern areas.

The students will be coached in character, personal responsibility and citizenship development.

Woodall said there will also be family, community and business interventions through neighborhood meetings, community newsletters, parent and volunteer training, career awareness and financial assistance for college.

The classes and services the students will participate in will align with the federal No Child Left Behind law and the Arizona standards for public schools.

The benefits of the program will not be limited to the class of 2014. Other students will reap benefits because of the training local school teachers and counselors receive, Woodall said.