Bridging the Gap to Postsecondary Education

Innovative School Solutions

Discussion Outline

• Key Challenges• Responses to Challenges• Innovative Solutions/Early College ..…What

Have We Learned?• Potential Next Steps • Team Exercise• Information Sharing/Readout• Q& A

Key Challenges

• High School Graduation Rates in US is ~70 % and has held steady for last decade. (Education at a Glance 2003)

• Only ~30 % of US high school students graduate ready for college. (“Toward a More Comprehensive Conception of College Readiness” by David Conley)

• 40 % of all students entering college must take remedial courses. (same as above)

• Data indicates that 1 out of 2 students who start college never complete any kind of postsecondary degree. (same as above)

Key Challenges (Cont’d)

• 65% of College professors report that what is taught in high school does not prepare students for college. (Alliance for Excellent Education, 9/2007)

• High Percentage of jobs require postsecondary education. (“High School Teaching for the Twenty-First Century: Preparing Students for College” from the Alliance for Excellent Education, 9/2007)

• US ranks 10th among industrial nations in the rate of college completions by 25 to 44 year olds. (Education at a Glance 2004)

• Students graduating from both high school and college unprepared for the world of work. Less than 25% OF 400 employers surveyed on work readiness reported new employees have “excellent” basic knowledge and applied skills. More than 50% of the employers who hired employees from high school assessed their overall preparation as “deficient”. (“Are They Ready to Work” sponsored by The Conference Board)

Key Challenges(Cont’d)

• Budget reductions at all levels of public education (K-12, community colleges, and 4- year institutions). Eliminating course offerings and increasing class sizes.

• Increasing enrollments at postsecondary institutions resulting in larger class sizes.

• Dealing with reform initiatives (Fast and Furious).• Teacher (new and experienced) preparedness….21st

Century Skills and measuring effectiveness.

Responses to Challenges

• Pre-college options: “Career and College Promise “(@ CC s), Middle Colleges, STEM schools, and Early Colleges.

• Curriculum modifications (e.g., 4 years of math, GOALS courses).

• Structural Changes (e.g., 9th grade academies, “5th block).

• Shared facilities (i.e., high schools and CCs & colleges).

Responses to Challenges(Cont’d)

• More focused Professional Development.• Aligned school-administrator-teacher

assessments based on performance metrics. Current initiatives in several states and at the national level is pay for performance and the concept of value-added assessments.

• Redesign of schools of education curriculum (in early stages).

Early College AlternativeInnovative Solution

• What have we learned over the past 7 plus years from the EC experiences?

+ Value & need for schedule flexibility + Class sizes do matter!!! + Flexibility in curriculum design + Power of the site (on college campuses) + Value of collaboration between and among

HS & college faculty

Early College Alternative(Cont’d)

What have we learned….. + Cost efficiencies (associated with shared

facilities) + Students expectations of themselves

increased with respect to the need and value of postsecondary education

+ The need and value of minimizing the time gap between HS core language arts and math classes and college equivalents

Early College Alternative(Cont’d)

• What have we learned…… + Need & Value of Comprehensive Personal

Education Plans on all students + Need & Value of a informed decision-making

seminar in preparation for selecting a college major and/or a career choice

+ Value of a community service component + Value of using EC as a laboratory for learning

(best practices)

Next Steps?

• Seek ways to leverage what is working in each school. • Promote interdisciplinary collaboration.• Treat EC as a learning laboratory.…an incubator for

new ideas.• Engage faculty and school administrators on key

metrics which drive student academic growth and achievement.

• Evaluate/modify curriculum and course content focusing on relevance and rigor. (Oppty given reduction in State mandated EOCs)

Team Exercise(Teams of 6 to7)

• In Wilkes County Schools……• what are the challenges you face in meeting your

individual and school-wide goals (list 4 -6)?• how are you and your school addressing the

challenges noted above and the challenges identified in this presentation (list 4 -6)?

• what 3 or 4 actions can you and your school take this school year to address these challenges?

Team Exercise

Readout: Information Sharing

Q&A

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