Catching Up Underprepared Students in Early College High Schools: Reducing the Performance Gap

• In Event: Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: The Possibility of School Turnaround: Research Studies of Turnaround Efforts at Different Levels

Abstract

Research has shown students entering high school underprepared to be at increased risk for dropout and not gaining access to postsecondary education. Early College High Schools (ECHS) are a new model merging high school and college designed to increase the number of students who graduate from high school and enroll and succeed in college. This paper presents findings from a federally funded experimental study of the impact of the ECHS model on students who enter high school having failed either or both 8th grade reading and math. Results show a systematic differential impact on these students’ overall course take-up and progress up into 11th grade, demonstrating the efficacy of this model on reducing the gap between underprepared and prepared students.

Authors

• Larry Bernstein, Northeastern University

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

• Fatih Unlu, Abt Associates Inc.