SUGGEST NEW POLICY EXPLORATIONS TO REFLECT THESE FINDINGS

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA — July 3, 2008 — The Educational Policy Institute, a non-profit think tank on education, was awarded a six-year contract to evaluate the GEAR UP project for Hampton City Schools of Virginia. Hampton City Schools applied for the federal grant last year and were notified on July 1 of their successful bid. EPI worked with Hampton City Schools to develop the proposal.

GEAR UP, or the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, is a federal program run by the US Department of Education to help low-income students from grades 6 through 12 prepare for, apply to, enroll in, and success at college. The program was developed in the late 1990s as part of the Higher Education Act. EPI President & CEO Dr. Watson Scott Swail served on the original US Department of Education negotiated rulemaking committee for GEAR UP back in 1998.

Through this grant, Hampton City Schools will be able to provide a unique focus on students attending their lowest-income schools. EPI will be there throughout the six-year grant, evaluating the program and providing technical assistance.

- 30 -

The Educational Policy Institute is a 501(c)3 corporation based in Virginia Beach, Virginia with offices in Toronto, Canada, and Melbourne, Australia. The mission of the Educational Policy Institute is to “expand educational opportunity for low-income and other historically-underrepresented students through high-level research and analysis.” For more information on EPI, visit www.educationalpolicy.org.