status of research on early colleges

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Status of Research on Early Colleges

A presentation at Appalachian State

Julie Edmunds, SERVE Center at UNCG

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Goals for Today’s Session

• Brief description of early colleges

• An overview of current research on early colleges– Results from an experimental study

• Some potential gaps in the research


THE EARLY COLLEGE MODEL

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A National Movement

• Idea started with La Guardia Community College

• National Early College High School Initiative—supported by Gates Foundation

• NC has the most schools—74+

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Early Colleges• Small schools that blur the line between high

school and college • Mostly located on college campuses• Leads to HS diploma AND 2 years of college

credit• Serve students in grades 9-12 or 13 • Targeted at students who are underrepresented

in college– First generation; low-income; minority

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High-quality, rigorous, and relevant instruction, ongoing assessment

Small size, location on college campus, flexible use of time

Academic and affective supports, supportive relationships

Ongoing professional development, staff collaboration, collective responsibility

Articulated program of study, grades 9-12 or 13 leading to Associate’s degree, college readiness activities

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Shared leadership, shared vision


What questions should be answered about this model?

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OVERVIEW OF CURRENT RESEARCH

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Current Research

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Studies being conducted

• Program descriptions

• Case studies of individual schools

• Qualitative research related to students’ experiences

• Policy analyses

• National descriptive evaluation

• Quasi-experimental and experimental studies

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IMPACT OF THE EARLY COLLEGE MODEL

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Impact Findings—National Evaluation

• Early colleges outperform their districts on standardized assessments

• Higher on-time graduation rate

• Students earned an average of 23 high school credits before graduating high school

• BUT does not control for incoming achievement or motivation

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Impact Findings-Quasi-Experimental Studies

• Texas early college students outperform comparison group students on math and reading exams (SRI)

• Students in one early college high school outperformed comparison students on all EOCs (Kaniuka)

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Impact—Experimental Study

• Independent study funded by the Institute of Education Sciences—Not sponsored by NCNSP

• Partnership between SERVE, NCDPI, NC New Schools Project, Duke University, UNCG, Abt Associates, RTI International

• Seven-year experimental study comparing students who applied to the early college, went through a lottery, and were randomly chosen to attend (treatment) or not to attend (control).

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Study Goals

1. Examine impact of model on student outcomes including: behavior, achievement, course-taking, dropouts, graduation, postsecondary enrollment.

2. Determine whether impact varies by student characteristics, such as: race/ethnicity; poverty status; first generation college status; and prior achievement.

3. Determine whether specific program components are associated with better student outcomes.

4. Conduct a cost-benefit analysis.


Early College High School Study Site

Map of Sites Participating in the Study2010-2011

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District with an Early College


Data Sources

Administrative Data—Early college and Control DPI--Test scores, attendance, suspensions,

dropouts Community college—course performanceNational Student Clearinghouse—

postsecondary enrollment


Data Sources

Student Opinion Survey—Early college and Control School experiences, attitudes toward school

Implementation Surveys, Site Visits and Interviews—Early college only


Study Sample

• Students apply to early college

• Conduct lottery for “eligible applicant pool” – Compare results for students who got in and

those who didn’t

• 9th Grade: 1,610 students in 18 cohorts in 12 schools

• 10th Grade: 676 students in 8 cohorts in 6 schools

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We are comparing….

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Early College Group

Control Group


IMPACTS ON…

•College prep course- taking and success

•College-going aspirations

•Staying in school

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*Significant at p≤.05 or less

Core 9th Grade Academic Outcomes

At least 1 math English 1

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Core 10th Grade Academic Outcomes

At least 2 math courses Biology*Significant at p≤.01 or less

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Aspirations to a 4-year College—9th and 10th grade

*Significant at p≤.01.

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10th Grade Outcomes Associated with Persisting in School

*Significant at p≤.05 or less

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Impact on Student Attitudes—10th grade

• Findings: – Early college students report lower levels

of English Self-Efficacy(effect size=.3).

– Why might this be? –We suspect that the reading and writing

expectations are higher in the early college setting.


Our study will look at…

• Impact on upper grades – Academic performance– Attendance and behavior– Dropping out

• Impact on high school graduation

• Number of college credits earned while in high school

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What other impacts have people seen?

What else needs to be looked at relative to impacts?

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IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EARLY COLLEGE MODEL

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Students’ High School Experiences

• Students reported rigor, relevance, and relationships (AIR/Gates)

• Close personal relationships (Bruce; Thompson and Onganga)– Staff-students– Peer relationships

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Students’ High School Experiences

• Instruction is of mixed quality (Duffy)– Scored higher on many dimensions than

college instruction

• Early colleges provided assignments of higher “authentic intellectual quality” (Smith)

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Experimental Study: ECHS students have better school experiences…

Scale Effect Size

High Expectations +.52*

Relationships +.11

Challenge +.31*

Relevant Instruction +.40*

Rigorous Instruction +.39*

Academic and Social Support +.56*

Source: Student Opinion Survey, administered to treatment and control


Strong relationships make it easier for students to get help.

“I feel like having a better relationship with the teachers makes it easier for me if I’m struggling in something to go up to that teacher and talk to them about it because if I don’t have a personal relationship with someone I don’t like admitting that I’m having trouble.”

“… we know the teachers personally…they are our friends. So you’re not worried about what they’re going to say. When they criticize you, you know that it’s just to help you, not just brushing you off to the side.”

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Students’ College Experiences• Early college students perform just as well as

traditional entry students while in high school (Fischetti & Smith)

• Early college students can struggle in college classes – Problem of early failure (Aleia)

• Need to balance support for students with creating more independent learners (AIR/Gates)

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High School-College Partnerships

• Overall, early colleges on college campuses got better results (AIR/Gates)

• Little collaboration between early college and college faculty (AIR/Gates)

• Comm. College faculty perceive early colleges as beneficial but concerns over space, behavior, and the impact on adult learners (Williams)

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Policies and Support for Early Colleges

• Ensuring early colleges implement core principles is important (AIR/Gates)

• Early estimates have early colleges cost about 5-12% more (JFF)

• Certain policies are required to support early college high schools (Hoffman & Vargas)

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What else have people learned about program implementation?

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GAPS IN THE LITERATURE

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Gaps in the Literature--Impacts

• Postsecondary impacts– How do students perform in postsecondary

education?

• Evolution of academic identity– How do students’ perceptions of themselves

as learners change? – How does it differ by student characteristics?

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Gaps in the Literature--Impacts• College readiness in a variety of domains

– How ready are students for college-level writing expectations?

– How well can students manage their time? – How well can students advocate for themselves

with their professors?

• Impact on the college setting– What is the impact on adult students? – What is the impact on college instruction?

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• Extracurriculars (incl. sports and the arts)– To what extent do early college students

participate in extracurriculars? – To what extent do students participate in

sports or arts-related activities?

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Gaps in the Literature--Impacts


Gaps in the literature-Implementation

• Support strategies– What are effective strategies to help students

entering below grade level achieve in honors-level courses (particularly math)?

– How can schools support students while also creating independent learners?

– How can schools build those non-academic college readiness skills?

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• Instruction– How can students be prepared for college-

level writing? – How can you support teachers in

implementing more rigorous instruction?

• Impact of turnover– What happens when leaders or key staff turn

over? How well does the vision remain?

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• College-high school collaboration– What factors support/hinder collaboration

between faculty? – What are the results of collaboration?

• Cost– How much do early colleges cost?– What is the cost-benefit?

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What additional questions need to be asked?

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For more information

Julie [email protected]

336-574-8727

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status of research on early colleges

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