We “do” high school very poorly. At least we do for those who are historically underrepresented in postsecondary education. NAEP data clearly tell us that the academic wherewithal of students is cast by the eighth grade. Any gap in learning by that point fails to change by the 12th grade. One could take that information and suggest that high school is a waste of time. But done properly, it would seem that the gap in learning could be ameliorated, at least to a degree, by prudent programming and motivation. … If Early College is so successful, why hasn’t it massively expanded to other states and schools?
This is an except from “Early College: A Good Public Policy Option?” by Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute in The Swail Letter on Education.
What a compelling and timely essay. We at EDWorks and KnowledgeWorks have been working to transform low-performing high schools for more than a decade. In addition, we have helped launch several early college high schools in Ohio and other states, and ALL of them are achieving remarkable results with students who ordinarily would be considered “at risk” for dropping out – and who definitely would be considered “long-shots” for college enrollment, not to mention completion.
I’ve always known that HOPE is huge for disengaged youth. If we give them a meaningful, worthwhile goal, and support their pursuit of it with high expectations and tailored interventions, they will rise to the occasion. We see it over and over again in early college high schools across the country. So let’s move forward to make this option available to more students.
Time’s a’wastin’ – and so are too many young people’s lives.
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