Grounded and Gearing Up

Deep in the heart of rural Alabama in a town called Webb, known for its large farms and low wages, Jason Bryant was raised by his grandparents and seemingly destined to follow a path of poverty all too common for the area, but education changed his course.

“I didn’t know how poor we were. And when I got to school, there were so many who did what they could to support me,” Bryant said. “I think every teacher had an impact.”

Bryant looks back through tears of gratitude for everyone who opened the door of opportunity to him. Today, he’s known as Dr. Bryant, the director of the College of Education’s Truman Pierce Institute (TPI), where he continues a career dedicated to giving back to students in need and supporting teachers in rural areas.

“Regardless of where you come from, regardless of what obstacles are in your way, education is truly the way for people to move upward,” he said. “And I’m a testament to that.” 

In 2015, Bryant earned his doctorate in Administration of Elementary and Secondary Education from Auburn’s College of Education, where he’s now a clinical professor . For the past four years, he’s been at the helm of TPI, which aims to help students in rural areas. 

“I’m in a unique position between TPI and educational leadership to work with teachers and teacher leaders and administrators in the state of Alabama as we think about professional development and just supporting their needs as educators but then also working with their students,” he said.

Bryant has sought to grow TPI’s reach, most recently with his collaborative work in securing a seven-year, $18.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education. That grant funds Auburn’s Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) Achieve initiative. The effort, started in 2023, is being led by the TPI and University Outreach to provide greater access and opportunities to more than 6,500 middle school students in seven regions of Alabama, including the Black Belt, Birmingham and Montgomery, and into the northeast portion of the state. 

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The grant will follow the GEAR UP students for seven years through high school and into their first year of postsecondary education to help ensure greater post-secondary access and success. GEAR UP Achieve is designed to:

• improve access to high-quality literacy and mathematics instruction; 

• leverage state-level data to monitor students’ academic progress; 

• support school counselors, career coaches and academic advisors in guiding students toward higher education opportunities; 

• assist students and their families in navigating the college admissions process and preparing to meet Alabama’s workforce needs; and 

• increase awareness of the costs of higher education and provide technical assistance to students and their families in completing the requirements to receive financial aid. 

Tessie Williams, the deputy superintendent of the Tallassee City Schools System, said the efforts of Bryant and the GEAR UP program have already had an impact on their students. 

“Leadership is action, and it is clear that Dr. Jason Bryant has set the foundation for the actions required (personnel, programs and partnership) for GEAR UP Achieve to be a successful program for years to come,” she said. 

That’s Byrant’s hope as well, and one that brings satisfaction to his journey into education leadership and advocacy.

“The full circle moment is providing those opportunities,” Bryant said. “At the end of the day, we want contributing members of society, and the only way they can contribute is to give them that opportunity to engage and interact and think about the future.” 

Bryant strongly believes that learning is at the heart of all progress.  

“That’s really my why — I want to make a difference because somebody made a difference for me.”