NCREST Projects: Middle College

The National Middle College High School Consortium Early College Initiative (NMCHSC) ISA New Teacher Academy

MIDDLE COLLEGE/EARLY COLLEGE AT NCREST

What are Early College High Schools?

The Middle College National Consortium consists of a network of high schools across the nation, situated on community college campuses, that provide under-performing youth with access to college. This association supports schools in implementing six design principles that lay the foundation for an excellent education leading to postsecondary success. Building on this history, the Consortium, with support from the Carnegie, Ford, Gates and Kellogg Foundations, is taking this initiative to the next level. The Early College High Schools blur the border between high school and the community college to create “blended institutions” that offer a dual degree program. Taking a mixture of high school and college courses, students work to attain both a high school diploma and associates degree in five years. Students are intensively supported and guided as they experience themselves as successful college-level learners. The schools are committed to working with students who have not traditionally thought of themselves as “college material,” and involve families and communities in the process. A total of 30 of these schools are expected to open by 2007.

Recent News and Publications

What is NCREST’s role?

Beginning in 2002, NCREST has documented the design, development, and operation of the MCNC’s Early College High School Initiative to provide information that will strengthen its design and implementation. NCREST is supporting this effort in the following ways:

• Administering student surveys to learn more about who they are, their aspirations,   beliefs, sources of support, and work habits.
• Analyzing student transcripts to look at course taking patterns, progress toward attainment
  of the dual degrees, and performance.
• Documenting the role of coaches in assisting with the establishment of new schools.
• Creating a self-assessment tool that schools use in measuring their progress toward full   implementation of the Early College High School model.
• Studying the relationships between high schools and colleges as they form partnerships
  related to this initiative.
• Analyzing school academic plans.
• Conducting site visits to document progress in school development.

For more information, contact:

Elisabeth Barnett (barnett@tc.edu): Project Director
Jenny Kim (jek51@columbia.edu): Research Assistant
Kate Spence (kates3810@yahoo.com): Research Assistant