...encountering the rigor, depth, and intensity of college work at an earlier age inspires average, underachieving, and well-prepared high school students.
Purpose
CORE PRINCIPLES
Early college high schools are small, autonomous schools where:
Early college high schools have the potential to improve high school graduation rates and better prepare students for family supporting careers by:
Early college high schools also share the attributes of high performing schools:
-Early College High School Initiative, Core Principles
www.earlycolleges.org
To create Early College of Alaska (ECA), a charter secondary school in partnership with the University of Alaska, whose focus is core academic learning to fully prepare graduates for work and post-secondary education.
Philosophy and Research
The philosophy underpinning this proposal comes from teachers who want a structure for success. We want to restore the relationship between teachers and students. Early College of Alaska is inspired by Thinking K-16, a research publication of The Education Trust , and by Jobs for the Future, the outreach arm of the Gates Foundation The Early College High School Initiative.
The ECHS model is operating today in 67 schools in 24 states. Washington, California, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Utah, and Georgia have statewide ECHS initiatives. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, through the organization Jobs For the Future, has committed $1.2 billion toward the establishment of 170 early college high schools by 2008. "Early college high schools are different from conventional schools and from one another, but they share many of the characteristics of successful schools: a clear sense of mission, high standards for all, close teacher-student relationships, personalized education, an integrated curriculum, flexibility in the use of time, an emphasis on student work, a real world context for learning, and the continuous involvement of parents and the community" (Wolk, 2005).
Early College High School benefits a wide population of students: those who do not have the academic preparation to meet high school standards; those who may not be able to afford the high cost of college; English language learners; and those who must balance school, work, and family obligations. These are often the populations represented in high school dropout statistics. The latest research on high school dropouts shows that these students leave school because they are not challenged by their classes; they're bored (Bridgeland, 2006). The ECHS initiative offers these students something different. Instead of remediation, they get inspiration. Instead of what President George W. Bush powerfully calls "the soft bigotry of low expectations," they get the hard work of meeting high standards.
"The partners in the initiative believe that encountering the rigor, depth, and intensity of college work at an earlier age inspires average, underachieving, and well-prepared high school students"(Core Principles, 3). The benefits to students are significant. Research shows that students who complete a four-year college degree earn 70% more than those who graduate from high school, and college graduates are four times more likely to be employed than high school dropouts (A New Core Curriculum, 2003).