scholarly journals Funding Early College High School: Hold Harmless or Shared Commitment

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Leonard
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
College Readiness ◽  
Parental Engagement ◽  
Shared Responsibility ◽  
Early College ◽  
Financial Policy ◽  
Early College High Schools ◽  
Hold Harmless ◽  
Shared Commitment ◽  
The Cost

Early college high schools are a promising but expensive pathway to college readiness. Most such schools are supported with state funds and/or grants. This descriptive case study presents an early college program, now in its fourth year in a traditional high school, in which the families, high school and community college shared the entire cost. Data from document analysis and interviews with administrators, parents and students clarified the funding plan and participant reactions. Joint ownership increased parental engagement, student academic commitment and administrator attention. The results suggest that learning to cope with the cost of college, which this program necessitated, is an important aspect of college readiness for both students and parents. The model of shared responsibility is contrasted with the “hold harmless” model of government/foundation support that relieves schools and families of the cost of early college programming. The findings and policy recommendations are applicable to LEA and SEA leaders, philanthropies and scholars in educational financial policy.

Preparing Students for College: Lessons Learned From the Early College

2017 ◽  
Vol 101 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie A. Edmunds ◽  
Nina Arshavsky ◽  
Karla Lewis ◽  
Beth Thrift ◽  
Fatih Unlu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
High School ◽  
College Readiness ◽  
Small Schools ◽  
Secondary School Principals ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Early College ◽  
Early College High Schools ◽  
High School Setting

This article utilizes mixed methods—a lottery-based experimental design supplemented by qualitative data—to examine college readiness within an innovative high school setting: early college high schools. Early colleges are small schools that merge the high school and college experiences and are targeted at students underrepresented in college. Results show that early college students are more likely to have successfully completed the courses they need for entrance into college; early college students also graduated from high school at a higher rate. Interview and survey data show that early college students are generally considered similarly prepared to more traditional postsecondary students. The interview data also provide detailed descriptions of the kinds of strategies the schools use to support college readiness. The article concludes with lessons learned for secondary school principals.

“That’s the Point of Going”: A Qualitative Inquiry Into the Experiences of Black Males at an Early College High School

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-34
Author(s):  
Tempestt R. Adams ◽  
Brian K. Williams ◽  
Chance W. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High Schools ◽  
Black Males ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Early College High School ◽  
Early College ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Design Data ◽  
Black Male Students ◽  
Early College High Schools

Early college high schools are small schools designed to increase college and career readiness for groups underrepresented in higher education. While some research has focused on student experiences in the early college environment, few have specifically examined the perceptions of Black male students. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of Black males in an early college high school. Using a qualitative case study design, data were collected using focus groups and individual interviews. Emergent themes included students’ descriptions of their learning environment and the benefits and challenges they experienced. The results of this study provide further insight into early college high schools and how they serve their targeted population.

scholarly journals What students do early college high schools serve? Unpacking social constructions of the target population

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 173
Author(s):  
Julia C. Duncheon
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Early College High School ◽  
Early College ◽  
College Credit ◽  
Early College High Schools ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Recruitment And Selection

To support the nation’s college completion goals, early college high school (ECHS) reform creates opportunities for interested students to earn up to two years of free college credit during high school. ECHSs also have an equity objective: to target and enroll students who are historically underrepresented and/or might not otherwise go to college. Yet the extent to which ECHSs actually serve their target population in practice is unclear, especially in a marketized school environment. Using qualitative methods and the theory of social construction and policy design (Schneider Ingram, 1993), this study explores the recruitment and selection practices at five ECHSs in the borderlands of Texas. Findings suggest that ECHS staff invited applications from the broad target groups. However, the admission process, shaped in part by patterns of self-selection, favored students who were academically inclined and relatively privileged compared to their district peers. ECHS staff socially constructed narrower ideals of the target population than those articulated in the policy design based on their assumptions about who was likely to succeed in—and thus deserving of—an early college opportunity. Findings are discussed with particular attention to the equity implications of ECHS reform.

scholarly journals Strategies for Successful College Transitions for High School Students in Urban Schools

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin L. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Urban Schools ◽  
Postsecondary Education ◽  
College Readiness ◽  
College Experiences ◽  
Early College ◽  
School Students ◽  
College Programs ◽  
College Transitions

Students in the U.S. are underachieving in math and reading, which negatively affects transitions to postsecondary education (NAEP, 2015). Research shows that students exposure to college coursework in high school can increase academic outcomes for students and lead to successful transitions to college. However, many studies promote the use of early college programs that foster college readiness, without considering schools that may not be equipped to provide those opportunities for students. This article offers insight about the lack of college readiness for students, specifically students that attend urban schools, and the role that high schools play in combating these limitations. This article concludes with recommendations on ways to creatively immerse students from urban schools with college experiences.

scholarly journals Early College High Schools at Scale: Using Administrative Data to Assess the Impacts of an Educational Intervention on Voting and Crime

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Lauen ◽  
Sarah Fuller ◽  
Tom Swiderski ◽  
Fatih Unlu
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
North Carolina ◽  
High Schools ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Educational Attainment ◽  
Administrative Data ◽  
Voting Behavior ◽  
Early College ◽  
Early College High Schools ◽  
K 12

Early college high schools (ECHS) are small schools of choice which provide students with the opportunity to earn, at no financial cost to them, two years of transferable college credit or an associate's degree while simultaneously satisfying high school graduation requirements. This promising intervention is aimed at smoothing the transition from high school to college for under-represented minorities and students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. There are about 80 ECHS in North Carolina, although the model is implemented in many other states as well. While much is known from prior research about the impacts of the intervention on educational attainment, nothing is known about longer term outcomes such as employment, wages, criminal involvement, and voting behavior. The present study will briefly describe the data collection process, research methods, and preliminary findings on the effects of the intervention on voting and criminal conviction in North Carolina. We will also present results on whether impacts on long term civic outcomes are mediated by educational attainment. Quasi-experimental impacts have been validated against impacts generated from a randomized controlled trial of the same intervention in a subset of the sites during the same time period. The team assembled personally-identified population level statewide administrative data on all NC high school students (including ECHS) and linked it to records housed at community colleges, universities, the Department of Public Safety (incarceration), and Board of Elections (voting). Together this effort comprises one of the more comprehensive administrative data collection efforts linking student level K-12, postsecondary, and longer-term outcomes.

“We Are Exposed to That College Environment”: Exploring the Socialization of Early College High School Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-194
Author(s):  
Julia C. Duncheon
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Underrepresented Students ◽  
Border Region ◽  
Early College ◽  
School Students ◽  
Socialization Process ◽  
Early College High Schools ◽  
Mexico Border

Objective: Early college high schools (ECHSs) allow high school students to accumulate credit toward an associate degree at little or no cost, often through partnerships with community colleges. The goal is to facilitate students’ socialization into higher education, or the process of learning the skills, knowledge, and dispositions required for college success. However, whether and how this goal translates to practice remains under-studied. Using an organizational socialization framework, this study explores (a) How are ECHS students socialized into higher education? and (b) What do students learn from their ECHS experience? Method: This case study draws a sample of 111 traditionally underrepresented students, 13 teachers, and 1 principal at one ECHS in a U.S.–Mexico border region of Texas. Data were collected via interviews, demographic questionnaires, and documents, and coded using NVivo software. Results: Data analysis revealed three themes pertinent to students’ socialization: (a) receiving academic support, (b) taking college courses, and (c) gaining independence. Across these categories, being able to participate in courses at the community college was especially critical for students’ socialization. Findings also illustrate how tensions between the expectations of the college and those of the school district limited the socialization process. Contributions: This study has implications for research and policy regarding the benefits of ECHS and dual credit coursework, the importance of social experiences on a college campus, and the challenges of secondary–postsecondary misalignment in cross-sector partnerships.

Mandated Engagement: The Impact of Early College High Schools

2013 ◽  
Vol 115 (7) ◽  
pp. 1-31
Author(s):  
Julie A. Edmunds ◽  
John Willse ◽  
Nina Arshavsky ◽  
Andrew Dallas
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
High School ◽  
High Schools ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Small Schools ◽  
Early College ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Early College High Schools ◽  
Study Team ◽  
The Impact

Background Early college high schools, small schools that blur the line between high school and college, have been obtaining very strong results. This paper uses the frame of student engagement to posit an explanation for the success of these schools. Purpose This paper examines the impact of early college high schools on indicators and facilitators of engagement in the ninth-grade. The paper also looks at how early college students perceive these facilitators of engagement. Participants The main sample for this study includes students who applied to an early college high school and went through a lottery process. Student who were accepted through the lottery are the treatment students and those who were not accepted form the control group. Intervention Early colleges are small schools, often located on college campuses, that aim to provide a rigorous course of study with the goal of ensuring that all students graduate with a high school diploma and two years of university transfer credit or an associate's degree. Serving students in Grades 9-12 (or 13), the schools are targeted at students who typically are under-represented in college. Data Collection and Analysis The study uses administrative data submitted to the North Carolina Department of Instruction, including suspensions and attendance data. The study team also administered an original survey to treatment and control students that included scales on indicators and facilitators of engagement. Both the administrative and survey data were analyzed using multiple regression. Finally, the study team collected qualitative data from interviews with early college students. Results Early college students had better attendance, lower suspensions, and higher levels of engagement than control students. Compared to the control students, early college students also reported higher levels of all of the facilitators of engagement examined, including better relationships with teachers, more rigorous and relevant instruction, more academic and affective support, and higher expectations. Conclusions Students in early colleges experienced overall higher levels of engagement on a variety of dimensions. The qualitative data suggest that early colleges make concerted and purposeful efforts to engage students in school. These efforts seem to almost require that students are active participants in school; in other words, early colleges can be seen as essentially “mandating engagement.”

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