Early College High School Initiative June 16, 2009

North Carolina New Schools Project Initiative of the Governor and the Education Cabinet established in 2003 Support from the State of North Carolina and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Collaboration with State Board of Education, General Assembly, Department of Public Instruction, Local School Districts, Public and Private Higher Education, Business and Philanthropic Groups Earned Harvard Innovation in American Governor Award in 2008

Two Kinds of Innovative High Schools Early College Conversions/Redesigns Co-located on a college campus, with students graduating high school with two years of college credit Transformation of conventional secondary schools into focused and academically rigorous smaller schools Key differences from conventional schools Changed teaching that emphasizes inquiry and entrepreneurial thinking All students complete college prep curriculum All students graduate with transferable college credit Most schools have a maximum of 100 students per grade

High School Innovation Projects Statewide 64 Districts Urban, suburban & rural 110 new schools in development

High School Innovation Projects Early College High Schools 11 in Planning 60 in Implementation

Early College HS Development 60 ECHSs are now open in 53 LEAs, up from the 12 that opened in 2005 Nearly 8,000 students (7,934) were enrolled in the state’s early college high schools as of the first month of the 2008-09 school year.

Early Indicators of Success The 9th grade promotion rate in the first ECHS was 96% in 2006-07, compared to 85% for all NC high schools. ECHS had a combined dropout rate of less than 1% in 2007-08, compared to a statewide dropout rate of 4.97%. The dropout rate for 9th graders in ECHS in 2007-08 was 0.35 percent, compared to 5.5 percent for all high schools statewide. 59.5% of ECHS met Expected Growth targets in the ABCs system in 2007-08, compared to 44% of high schools statewide 86% of ECHS outperformed comparison high schools in their school districts

Policy and Funding Considerations Legislation authorizing secondary, post-secondary collaboration (Innovative Ed Initiatives Act) Targeted funding for planning and implementation Creation of college liaison Funding for professional development Integrated approach to professional development Process to expedite waivers, flexibility Intermediary connected to all education sectors State agency staff assigned to intermediary Formal and informal strategies for collaboration

Early College High School Initiative June 16, 2009