Do Early Colleges Work? Results from a rigorous, experimental study

1. Do Early Colleges Work? Results from a rigorous, experimental study Julie Edmunds, SERVE Center at UNCG

2. Goals for Today’s Session • Understand the impact of early college high schools as determined by a rigorous experimental study in NC. • Hear lessons learned relative to implementation. • Consider the implications of these findings for your own situation.

3. How far along are folks? Have long experience in implementation Have implemented or studied at least one Am planning one Know something about them Barely heard of early colleges

4. The early college model

5. How do you define the Early College Model? • What are the characteristics of an early college? What makes it different? • Turn to the person next to you and discuss your understanding of the model. • Be ready to share your ideas.

6. Early Colleges We Studied • Small high schools located on college campuses • Schools of choice to which students apply • Leads to HS diploma and up to 2 years of college credit • Serve students in grades 9-12 or 13 • Targeted at students who are underrepresented in college • First generation; low-income; minority

7. Aligned secondary-postsecondary program of study, grades 9-12 or 13 leading to college credit/assoc. degree, college readiness activities Academic and affective supports, supportive relationships High-quality, rigorous, and relevant instruction, ongoing assessment Shared leadership, shared vision Small size, location on college campus, flexible use of time Ongoing professional development, staff collaboration, collective responsibility

8. Study of the impact of early college high schools

9. Experimental Study of the Model’s Impact • Independent study funded by the U.S. Department of Education. • Partnership between SERVE, Abt Associates, RTI International, Duke University, NCDPI, NC New Schools. • Seven-year experimental study comparing students who applied to the early college, went through a lottery, and were randomly chosen to attend (treatment) or not to attend (control).

10. The sample Students who apply to early college Lottery Not selected Selected

11. Why use a lottery? • To make sure the only difference between the groups is whether they are in the early college or not. • To be able to respond when people say: “If I could pick my kids, I would get those kinds of results too.” • To get results that are accurate and that people will believe.

12. We are comparing…. Early College Group Control Group

13. Data Sources Early College Both Control NC Department of Public Instruction Implementation Surveys National Student Clearinghouse Site Visits Original Student Survey

14. As you hear about the results… • If you are at a small early college: are you finding the same results? If not, what could your school do to achieve similar results? • If you are at a comprehensive high school: are you finding the same results? If not, what could your school do to achieve similar results?

15. On-track for college High school graduation Postsecondary enrollment impacts on…

16. On-track for College • Taking and passing the courses needed for entrance into the UNC system. • 9th Grade: English I and at least one college-prep math. • 10th Grade: English I and II, at least two college-prep maths, and one science. • 11th Grade: English I-III, at least three college-prep maths, two sciences, and one social studies.

19. Impact on Under-Performing

20. On-Track for College Discussion • What are the courses that students in your district need for college and how many students are taking and passing these courses? • What does a school need to do to get more students on-track for college? • How could a school help more under-performing students succeed in college preparatory courses?

21. Impact on 5-year Graduation Rates

22. Why there are higher graduation rates… “Student:…There are no failures at this school. They help you. They will make you win. They won’t let you fail anything. It’s just not an option. Student: In my middle school I made Fs and stuff, but here it’s hard for me to make an F. Student: They won’t let it happen….They don’t even let you get past a C. If they know that you’re an A student and if you slip down a little bit they’ll say, ‘Hey, we need to change this’.”

23. Why there are higher graduation rates… “Student : But they try their best here to keep you. I've seen a lot of people that have left, and even some that have stayed who I thought were going to leave because they try to keep you. They talk to you. They try to figure out what's happening. Drop-out people at other high schools, they're just gone... But even if, I bet, we didn't come to school for five days, someone's going to be calling… Student : They'd come pick me up if I ever skipped school.”

24. Early colleges are unique…

25. Early colleges are unique… • Pre-K • K-8 • 9-12 • Postsec

26. Ever Enrolled in Postsecondary Education • By the sixth year after enrolling in high school, 86 percent of the early college students had ever enrolled in postsecondary education, compared to 65 percent of the control group.

27. Attainment of Postsecondary Credential • Six years after entering high school… • 28 percent of the early college students had attained an associate’s degree compared to one percent of the control group (p≤.001). • One percent of the early college students had completed a Bachelor’s degree compared to zero percent of the control sample.

28. Discussion For those who have or are planning an early college: • What outcomes do you want from your early college efforts? • What types of data do you collect/plan on collecting to determine if an early college is working? • For those who are thinking about it: • To what extent do you think an early college would benefit your community? Why?

29. Lessons learned about implementing early college high schools

30. Key Lessons Learned • Many students do not reach their potential in traditional schools; the early college provides an environment that helps them succeed. • Creating such an environment requires: • Commitment to a core college prep mission (requires buy-in from staff) • School support and resources that are all focused around common vision and common conception of what that vision looks like in practice

31. Need for Student Support • Simply changing a policy is not enough. • You cannot change a coursetaking policy by itself; students will also need support to succeed in higher level classes.

32. Student selection/participation • Goal is to serve students who would benefit. • Students who are capable but have historically had low expectations placed on them. • Be explicit about your target populations. • Very tempting to serve only students who are academically well-prepared • Some of the largest impacts for the target populations

33. Structural issues • Relationship with high school and college: • Generally improves over time. • Need for strong communication between both groups. • Conflicts tend to arise over student behavior. • The importance of hiring: • Staff need to buy into the mission. • Schools need autonomy over hiring.

34. Help new early colleges will need… • Assistance with improving instruction: • Math. • Writing skills. • Focus on cognitive engagement in addition to behavioral. • Samples of model support structures: • Academic supports vary widely; some schools use their time more effectively than others. • Support for students in college courses.

35. Open Discussion • What remaining questions about the impact of early colleges do you have? • What were some key take-aways for you from this session?

36. For more information Julie Edmunds jedmunds@serve.org 336-574-8727