Early College High Schools:Stepping Up to College During High School

Nancy Hoffman, Vice PresidentJobs for the FutureAugust 11, 2010

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• 208 early college schools in 24 states• 47,000 students enrolled, with 70% students of color and

59% eligible for free/reduced lunch• 25% of 2009 graduates earned two years of credit or an

Associate’s degree -- from ECHS open four or more years • Graduates earn an average of 23 college credits (AIR/SRI)• Large concentration of ECHS in Texas (41), North Carolina

(70), Georgia (14), and California (32)

Early College: A National Success Story

200 ++ EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY (AUGUST 2008)

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Schools with Grades 9-12

only63%Schools with

Grade 1313%

Schools with Middle Grades

15%

Ungraded9%

Grade Levels Served

Two-year Institu-tions72%

Four-year Institu-tions28%

Types of Postsecondary Partners

The Early College Design

SUPPORTS NEEDED TO ENSURE COLLEGE READINESS FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS

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Requirements Strategies

• Partnership between SERVE, NCDPI, NC New Schools Project, Duke University, UNCG, Abt Associates, RTI International

• Four-year experimental study comparing students who applied to and were randomly accepted into the ECHS with students who applied for and were randomly not accepted

• Participating schools use a lottery to select students out of an eligible applicant pool; many lotteries are stratified to place a priority on the target population

SERVE Center: NC Early College Study Overview

*Significant at p≤.001

At least one course At least two courses0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100% 98%*

38%*

76%*

18%*

TreatmentControl

Impact on College Prep Mathematics Course-taking end of 9th grade

• Findings: – ECHS students report significantly higher

levels of academic engagement and greater self-efficacy in math.

– Overall, ECHS students report significantly more positive experiences than the control students.

– Impacts vary by school.

Impact on Students’ Attitudes and Experiences

• ECHS outperform district schools on state assessments: AIR/SRI 2009

• ECHS students have high school graduation rates: SIS 92% vs 69%

• ECHS students are outperforming college students in community college: 75% get C or better compared to 70% college students

• ECHS particularly effective for ESL students: higher gpa, persistence, engagement

Other Studies

BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES FOR STATES AND HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEMS AND INSTITUTIONS:

1. Hold harmless funding streams for dual enrollment– incentives to

participate 2. Substitution of equivalent or more

demanding college courses for high school courses

3. Aligned high school exit and college entrance/ placement

requirements accepted by higher education4. Commitment to equitable access and

eligibility (which means providing supports)

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