Using Federal COVID-19 Relief Funds to Support Student Transitions from High School to Higher Education

A new policy guide, created in partnership with the College in High School Alliance, Everyone Graduates Center, Linked Learning Alliance, and National College Attainment Network, encourages state and district leaders to use federal coronavirus relief funds to improve college access and success, especially for students who are historically underserved and under-represented in higher education. During Read more about Using Federal COVID-19 Relief Funds to Support Student Transitions from High School to Higher Education[…]

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New Report Identifies Critical Predictive Metrics for Preventing a “Lost COVID Cohort”

Education Strategy Group (ESG) and the Level Up Coalition have released a new report, From Tails To Heads: Building Momentum for Postsecondary Success, estimating that there are roughly 7,000 high schools across the United States in which students of color or from low-income families have less than a 50 percent chance of transitioning directly to Read more about New Report Identifies Critical Predictive Metrics for Preventing a “Lost COVID Cohort”[…]

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How can states jump-start college learning in high school?

ExcelinEd recently released a 2-minute video exploring college acceleration opportunities. College acceleration opportunities offer high school students the chance to prepare for college-level expectations while earning valuable college credit.  Best of all, the earned credit from opportunities like Advanced Placement (AP), Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), dual credit, Read more about How can states jump-start college learning in high school?[…]

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June Issue Brief: Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

Degrees, credits, credentials, certificates, badges, microcredentials, and licenses are all ways of communicating to the world that an individual has gained particular knowledge and skills. The problem is, these signals do not seamlessly build on one another to provide a true picture of an individual’s expertise. Even within the higher education system, individuals who transfer Read more about June Issue Brief: Giving Credit Where Credit is Due[…]

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Early College High Schools May Pay for Themselves in the Long Run

Some solutions in education are expensive. Take early college high schools, which give students a head start on their college degrees but cost about $3,800 extra per student. Are they worth it? New research suggests that these schools might actually pay for themselves in long-term benefits to both students and the public as a whole. Read more about Early College High Schools May Pay for Themselves in the Long Run[…]

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Early College: The Little Reform Bundle That Could

Recently, Tom Vander Ark reviewed the literature on early college high school for the Fordham Institute. Excerpts of his piece appear below: Ten years ago I called early college high schools the best philanthropic initiative in education that never scaled. But the idea keeps chugging along gaining steam with policy and practice innovations. It’s now Read more about Early College: The Little Reform Bundle That Could[…]

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What Students Can Show Us About How School Is Letting Them Down-and How to Fix It

Three years ago, TNTP set out to understand how so many students could graduate from high school unprepared for the lives they want to lead. To find out, they followed nearly 4,000 students in three large urban districts, one small rural district, and one charter network with three schools in separate cities to view school Read more about What Students Can Show Us About How School Is Letting Them Down-and How to Fix It[…]

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Why do high school expectations matter?

Another student gets good grades, graduates from high school, and earns admission to a public university, but realizes too late that high school coursework did not provide the academic preparation needed for college and must be repeated- this time costing college tuition. All students deserve the opportunity to take courses that prepare them to enter Read more about Why do high school expectations matter?[…]

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Achieve: Do not use SAT or ACT as state summative assessment

Achieve released a new brief warning against the use of ACT or SAT exams as the summative high school assessment for English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. Achieve highlighted three reviews of these tests, looking at their alignment to states’ college- and career-ready academic standards and how using the tests for accountability would impact students, Read more about Achieve: Do not use SAT or ACT as state summative assessment[…]

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College Success Awards: Celebrating high schools that prepare students to succeed in college

GreatSchools has released a first-of-its-kind award recognizing and celebrating high schools that excel in ensuring students are prepared for college based on school-level postsecondary data collected and shared by their states. The award also underscores the need to open up new sets of data so we can shine the light on success and find the Read more about College Success Awards: Celebrating high schools that prepare students to succeed in college[…]

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The Promise of Performance Assessments

As states, districts, and schools are expanding instruction to include the competencies associated with college, career, and civic readiness, they are also developing ways to measure mastery of these deeper learning and higher-order thinking skills. These measures include performance assessments, such as portfolios, capstone projects, and senior defenses, alongside classroom performance. Meanwhile, more than 900 Read more about The Promise of Performance Assessments[…]

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January Issue Brief: Not Just a High School Diploma

High school students are now graduating with much more than their high school diplomas – some have already earned an Associate’s degree or industry-recognized credentials. Many have amassed enough AP, IB, or community college credits to begin their postsecondary studies a semester or two ahead. Research is showing that these early college/credentialing models promote college Read more about January Issue Brief: Not Just a High School Diploma[…]

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Recommendations for Early College High School Programs

A working group that includes members from some of the country’s most influential education groups released new recommendations aimed at high school programs offering college credit. These programs, often dual-enrollment partnerships with local colleges, have grown in popularity, as have concerns about the rigor, costs and ultimate impact on college success.   The group, convened Read more about Recommendations for Early College High School Programs[…]

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Mentoring Program Posts 81% College Persistence Rate

Writing for The 74, Kate Stringer reviews a new randomized controlled trial that finds that one-on-one, in-person mentoring that starts in high school and continues through university study can have a significant effect on college persistence rates for low-income students. Excerpts from the article appear below: A college mentoring program aimed at getting low-income and Read more about Mentoring Program Posts 81% College Persistence Rate[…]

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New Postsecondary Data Includes Expanded Look at College Completion

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released new data that provide a more comprehensive look at the percentage of degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students who are successfully completing postsecondary education. Unlike the previously reported graduation rates, the new Outcome Measures (OM) account for non-traditional students, such as those who attend part time or have transferred schools. Read more about New Postsecondary Data Includes Expanded Look at College Completion[…]

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AIR Examines Evidence on Early-College High Schools

The College & Career Readiness & Success Center at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) has released a new brief, Evidence-Based Practices to Support College and Career Readiness in High School: Early College High School. Early-college high schools are a partnership between secondary and postsecondary institutions and businesses that allow students to earn both a Read more about AIR Examines Evidence on Early-College High Schools[…]

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