This paper reviews and critiques empirical evidence concerning knowledge gaps and misconceptions among secondary school students, parents/guardians, and educators about postsecondary education and student financial assistance opportunities and prerequisites, in particular, how Michigan's middle school based Project Awareness may affect student aspiration. Project Awareness consists of five interventions for transmitting messages to students and to their parents through curriculum guides, TV videos, a database on financial aid resources, career clubs, and newsletters. With a focus on Project Awareness, the paper addresses early awareness as a research and policy issue, describes measurement and evaluation approaches and techniques for the study of early awareness, and shares some preliminary data analysis based on pilot evaluation results. The first section of the paper looks at early awareness as a policy issue and discusses the theoretical and empirical bases for the Project, related policy perspectives, anticipated research challenges and opportunities, and the information dissemination strategies planned for pilot-testing. The second section offers evaluation and preliminary analysis and reviews the approaches and techniques for project evaluation, sampling, instrument development, the variables under consideration, and analyzes preliminary data from pilot evaluation activities. (Contains 23 references.) (JB)