Pathways to College Access and Success - This report contains case studies of programs in five states – California, Iowa, Minnesota, New York and Texas – aimed at transitioning high school students into and through college. Evaluating a variety of programs – including a middle college, an International Baccalaureate program, a tech-prep program and two dual-enrollment programs – the study considers the programs’ (1) student recruitment and selection processes, (2) curricula, (3) support services, and (4) data collection and use. Barriers to program implementation also are noted. The appendix offers more detailed profiles of each research site. Among the recommendations for policymakers and practitioners: encourage broad student access; build strong collaborative relationships; and work with researchers to gather outcomes data. (Katherine L. Hughes, Melinda Mechur Karp, Baranda Fermin and Thomas R. Bailey, U.S. Department of Education, September 2005)...

Designing and Financing an Integrated Program of College Study: Lessons from the California Academy of Liberal Studies - This report examines how the California Academy for Liberal Studies and Los Angeles Trade-Technical College provide an articulated program allowing students to begin college-level work by grade 10 or 11. The authors provide information on the school’s curriculum, tutoring and mentoring supports, location and mutual history, as well as the early college high school’s budget and staffing model, all of which support this successful program. Chart two (page seven) makes clear the savings that can be realized by substituting college for high school courses. The brief also suggests how this program’s design may be used as a model for other school developers. [Free registration required to access report.] (Susan Goldberger and Leslie Haynes, Jobs for the Future, April 2005)...

The Early College High School Concept: Requisites for Success - This essay highlights the connections between high school and college and examines how states can scale up early college high schools across the nation. (Janet Lieberman, Jobs for the Future, June 2004)...

What Is the Cost of Planning and Implementing Early College High School? - This study looks at actual budgets developed for several types of current and planned early college high schools. The author finds that costs for early college high schools appear to be on par with those of regular public high schools, within significant limitations to comparing such different institutions and the variety of school designs emerging in the initiative. According to this report, if the preliminary data on costs are borne out in the next several years of the initiative, investments in early college high school actually buy much more, providing students with the opportunity to earn significant college credit while in high school. (Michael Webb, Early College High School Initiative, Jobs for the Future, November 2004)...

Integrating Grades 9 Through 14: State Policies to Support and Sustain Early College High Schools - Early college high schools are designed to enable underrepresented students to graduate in four to five years with a high school diploma and up to an Associate’s degree or sufficient credit to enter a Bachelor’s degree program as a junior. This brief recommends state policies that would support these new schools, as well as broader policy changes that would advance the agenda of creating a seamless K-16 system. (Nancy Hoffman and Joel Vargas, Early College High School Initiative, Jobs for the Future, January 2005)...

The Early College High School Initiative At A Glance - This fact sheet contains information on demographics and locations of early college high schools across the country. (Jobs for the Future, 2004)...