Can I go to college too?

Since it is summer and my daughter likes to sleep in (Whoo-Hoo), I like to watch the new in the morning while I eat my cereal. Today I went to my regular TV station’s website to see any recent (and interesting) education news. I was pleasantly surprised to read that a local high school has partnered up with the local community college to offer up to 60 college credits or classes to achieve an AA degree during high school. Classes will be held at the high school and the college with transportation being provided for students.

The reason I really liked the idea was because this local high school is located in an area that has a high number of students eligible for free and reduced lunches. Students at this school would most likely have difficulty paying for college and therefore not attend. Data shows that about 40% of students from this high school continue on to college. When compared to another high school in the county that is located in a more affluent area, the enrollment for college after high school was roughly 70%. All of this is public information and is easily accessibly online since states and the federal government love their data!

The partnership between the college and the high school is called “dual enrollment”. (link for more information https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-05-19/early-college-high-schools-offer-students-a-different-path-to-successl ) In this case, this partnership provides a chance to underdeserved youth who might otherwise not go to college. I was curious about how the program started. In 2014 president Obama signed a memorandum to create a program called, “My Brother’s Keeper”. This was created in an effort to help underdeserved youth reach their potential though college and career programs. Many communities joined in the challenge to create opportunities for young adults who might otherwise not have the opportunity to go to college or start a career after high school. Now students can apply for a Pell Grant in order to be in the dual enrollment program.

It turns out that all of the states in the US have programs like this that are funded on the state level, the federal level, and/or through donations from wealthy philanthropists. The most current data I found about the programs in each state was from 2015. It is not only the decision of the college in a state to offer a program like this but it is also a state by state decision. (http://ecs.force.com/mbdata/mbprofallRT?Rep=DE14A) Evidence shows that this is a great program that encourages students to finish high school and attend a college to earn a degree. (https://www.ecs.org/press-release-early-college-high-schools-model-policy-components/)

After finding this information I wondered if these types of programs were still in affect during the new administration. In a recent article in Education Week, I found information that leads me to believe these programs will continue. There is a focus on high school apprenticeships and programs that allow students to earn college credits during high school. (http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/high_school_and_beyond/2017/06/trump_makes_big_push_for_high_school_apprenticeships.html?intc=main-mpsmvs)

As educators, we have been told that we need to guide students to be a 21st century learner that is college and career ready. Although this has always been our goal as educators, we now know that there are programs available to help make this a reality for all students, no matter where they come from. (https://www.ecs.org/press-release-early-college-high-schools-model-policy-components/) We all know it takes a village to raise a child.