Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that the Assistant Secretary of the US Department of Education’s Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs has informed him that the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) has been selected to receive $676,490 in funding for the period 08/28/06 through 08/27/2007 from the U.S. Department of Education’s GEAR UP Program.

According to DOE, the GEAR UP Program is a discretionary grant program designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in post-secondary education.  GEAR UP provides grants to States and partnerships to provide services at high-poverty middle and high schools.  It is anticipated that the GEAR UP Program in American Samoa will be for a total of six (6) years. 

The American Samoa GEAR UP program will serve a cohort of 846 students by providing intensive after-school tutoring, summer school workshops and standardized test preparation, new Advance Placement (AP) courses held at the community college, teacher training toward certification, and coordinated counseling, support and financial assistance for all cohort families.  

“I commend ASCC for winning this award and especially Roy Fu’a and Seth Galea’i.  The financial support of the US Department of Education through GEAR UP will allow our young people an educational opportunity they otherwise would not have had.  Our students are our most precious resource and this program will serve to strengthen the education they receive,” the Congressman concluded.