Making a Difference: The Impact of Early College High Schools on 10th- and 11th- Grade Students

• In Event: Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: Early College as an Academic Turnaround Strategy

Abstract

Early College High Schools are small, innovative high schools that blur the line between high school and college and that are targeted at students who are underrepresented in college. This paper reports on 10th and 11th grade results from an IES-funded longitudinal experimental study that used a lottery to select students for attendance in the early college. Results show positive results for 10th grade on coursetaking and success. 10th graders also had statistically significantly better attendance and fewer suspensions and they were significantly more likely to remain enrolled in school. An early analysis of 11th grade results show mixed findings for coursetaking and success; however, there is an estimated positive 11 percentage point impact on 11th grader's enrollment in school.

Authors

• Julie A. Edmunds, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

• Larry Bernstein, Data Smarts, LLC

• Fatih Unlu, Abt Associates Inc.

• Elizabeth J. Glennie, RTI International

• John T. Willse, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• Nina Arshavsky, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

• Arthur V. Smith, Abt Associates