Education beyond high school is more critical today then ever before.  A high school diploma and at least some college credit are absolutely essential for full participation in today's economy.  A college graduate earns 70 percent more than a high school graduate.  Even one year of postsecondary education increases lifetime earnings.  The unemployment rate for high school dropouts is four times the rate for college graduates. 

 

Yet too few youth make it to or through a postsecondary education.  For those students who do graduate from high school, nearly three-fourths go on to college.  However, over half fail to complete a degree, and one-third never even see their sophomore year.  The statistics are even more alarming for African Americans and Hispanics, of whom only 6 percent complete a four-year college degree.  

 

The transition from high school to college or work is increasingly and unnecessarily complicated, difficult and lengthy.  The fastest growing part of the last two years of high school is advanced placement and dual-enrollment courses, while the fastest growing part of the first two years of college is remedial education.  We need new institutions to bridge the gap between high school and college, and new ways of dividing up the school years, particularly between eleventh grade and the second year of college. 

 

One Solution – Small Schools with Accelerated Paths
Small high schools with early college opportunities can give students the means, incentives and support networks to complete high school and achieve an associate's degree.  These early college high schools allow students to graduate with a diploma and an associate's degree, or two years of college credit.  They are small, personalized learning environments that demand rigorous, high-quality work and provide students with extensive support systems.  By compressing the number of years needed to receive an associate's degree and eliminating the physical transition between high school and college, these schools have the potential to dramatically improve high school and college graduation rates. 

 

Bard High School Early College in New York City is an example of a model already at work.  Open for less than a year, it has already shown great promise.  It is a cost-effective, quality option for students in New York and they are clamoring to attend.  

 

Through grants totaling $40 million, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation aims to create more than 70 small early college high schools throughout the country in the next five years.   It is the hope of the foundation and its partners in this effort that this model will  help improve high school and college graduation rates, especially for low-income and minority students.