Feedback Labs | March 11, 2025
College readiness isn’t just about grades—it’s about access, support, and trust. That’s why Syntiro, in partnership with GEAR UP Maine, is tackling some of the toughest barriers that students in rural, high-poverty communities face on their path to higher education. In a recent LabStorm, we explored how Syntiro can build stronger engagement with families, increase student buy-in, and create meaningful feedback loops to improve their programs.
About Syntiro
For 36 years, Syntiro has been at the forefront of equity and social justice in education and employment. Working alongside educators, state agencies, and community organizations, they deliver professional development and results-driven services designed to close opportunity gaps. Through their GEAR UP Maine program, they focus on college and career readiness, helping students in some of the state’s most rural and disadvantaged school districts gain access to higher education.
Through its Cohort Program and Priority Program, Syntiro supports students from 7th grade through high school graduation, offering college visits, financial aid guidance, career exploration, and academic mentoring. But ensuring long-term success in a landscape of extreme absenteeism, limited family engagement, and resource-strapped schools remains an ongoing challenge.
The Challenge
As Syntiro enters its second year of a seven-year federal GEAR UP grant, the program faces several key challenges:
- Engaging families in a way that is equitable, culturally responsive, and sustainable.
- Gathering and integrating feedback from students, parents, and educators across a vast rural region.
- Building student buy-in, especially in communities with high absenteeism and skepticism toward government-funded programs.
- Differentiating GEAR UP Maine from other college-readiness programs while creating feedback loops that drive real action.
With only a small staff covering 12 schools and communities, Syntiro needed creative, community-centered solutions to ensure feedback informs decision-making and strengthens student outcomes.
Key Discussions
1. Rethinking Family Engagement in Rural Communities
Families are at the heart of student success, but in many rural communities, engagement efforts have fallen flat. LabStorm participants highlighted key strategies for strengthening family participation:
- Co-Design with Parents: Instead of telling families what they need, co-developing solutions with them could lead to stronger, long-term engagement.
- Incentivizing Involvement: Offering childcare, transportation stipends, or even paid participation could reduce barriers and make engagement more accessible.
- Leveraging Local Networks: Faith-based organizations, libraries, and civic groups could serve as trusted messengers to help bridge the gap between families and schools.
2. Making Feedback a Two-Way Street
Syntiro is committed to gathering meaningful feedback, but ensuring that input translates into action is the bigger challenge. Attendees suggested:
- Moving Beyond Leadership-Only Feedback: Right now, most feedback comes from school administrators. To get a full picture, Syntiro should include students, teachers, and parents in decision-making.
- Engaging Students as Leaders: Creating a Student Advisory Council would elevate youth voices, making feedback more authentic and impactful.
- Bringing Conversations Back to the Community: Instead of just collecting feedback, reporting back—through community forums, social media, or newsletters—ensures participants see how their input leads to change.
3. Increasing Student Buy-In & Differentiating GEAR UP
Students need to feel that GEAR UP is for them—not just another program imposed from the outside. LabStorm participants explored ways to make it more appealing:
- Peer-Led Engagement: Having current college students or GEAR UP alumni present at middle school events could help younger students see a real, relatable pathway to success.
- Hands-On Career Exploration: Offering job shadowing, apprenticeships, and internships could make postsecondary education feel more relevant to students’ lives.
- Collective Impact & Partnerships: Instead of competing with similar programs, collaborating with TRIO, Tech Prep, and other organizations could create a unified college-readiness movement in Maine.
Key Takeaways
- Engagement must be community-driven. Co-designing with families, rather than dictating solutions, will lead to stronger, longer-lasting participation.
- Feedback isn’t just about listening—it’s about responding. Closing the loop through student advisory councils and public updates can build trust and accountability.
- Students need to see clear, tangible benefits. Hands-on career exploration, peer-led engagement, and strong community partnerships can increase buy-in and retention.
Conclusion
This LabStorm with Syntiro & GEAR UP Maine showed us that college readiness programs must be built with—not just for—the communities they serve. Through authentic family partnerships, meaningful feedback integration, and student-centered programming, Syntiro is taking bold steps toward transforming educational outcomes in Maine’s most rural areas.
Does your organization face similar challenges? Share your experiences in the comments below, or reach out to us at [email protected] to keep the conversation going!
Learn More About LabStorms
LabStorms are collaborative problem-solving sessions designed to help organizations tackle feedback-related challenges or share what’s working well in their practice.
Presenters leave the experience with honest, actionable feedback and suggestions to improve their feedback processes and tools.
To learn more about participating in a virtual LabStorm, please visit feedbacklabs.org/labstorms.
