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Bill Gates Offers $30M for 'Early Colleges'
>From eSchool News staff and wire service reports
December 8, 2004
Gates Offers $30M for 'Early Colleges'
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryt...?ArticleID=5410
Nearly $30 million in grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
will be used to expand a national network of early college high schools
(ECHS), intended to provide a fast track to college for underserved
young people, the foundation announced Dec. 7. A sophisticated student
information system will help administrators track the progress of the
program, the Seattle-based foundation said.
A $7 million investment in Jobs for the Future (JFF), which leads the
implementation of the network, will expand the technical assistance
available for the network. JFF will implement a new student information
system (SIS). Through this system, JFF will share data and best
practices to track progress, and support the continuous improvement of
early college high schools, with network grantees and other educational
institutions through 2008.
The SIS will generate public reports on the impact of early college on
student achievement. In addition, JFF will provide on-going support to
early college high school network through workshops and on-line tools,
including a grantee extranet and a web site where education leaders and
policy makers can find the latest research, analysis, and resources on
early college high school designs.
High schools, each working with a university or college, stress
rigorous
curricula in seeking to increase high-school graduation rates and
college readiness for minority youth, according to the foundation.
Students can earn a high school diploma and two years of college credit
or an associate's degree.
More than $22 million will support the creation of 42 new schools
throughout the country through investments in Antioch University
Seattle, the Middle College National Consortium, Portland Community
College's Gateway to College, Rochester Area Community Foundation,
Georgia Department of Education and the University System of Georgia,
KnowledgeWorks Foundation, and the National Council of La Raza.
Early college high schools are designed to increase high school
graduation rates, as well as the number of underserved youth who
achieve
a post-secondary education. According to a 2003 study by the Manhattan
Institute, one-third of all ninth graders will fail to graduate from
high school and two-thirds of those who do graduate will leave
unprepared for college success.
Just half of African-American and Latino youth earn their diploma in
four years, and fewer than 20 percent of those who graduate are ready
for college, the Gates Foundation said. That number is even lower for
Native American youth, who have the lowest college completion rates in
the country, the foundation reported; only 54 percent of Native
American
students graduate from high school and fewer than 3 percent of these
graduates complete a four-year degree program.
"If we fail to prepare all of our young people for the 21st century
economy, the economic and civic health of our nation will continue to
be
at risk," said Tom Vander Ark, executive director of education for the
Gates Foundation. "By investing in new early college high schools, we
hope to prepare more of the students for college, work, and
citizenship--especially underserved youth."
A recent report by the American Diploma Project shows there is an
increasing convergence between the skills needed to earn a family wage
and those required to attend college, including algebra, statistics,
strong oral and written communication skills, and research skills, the
foundation said. Early college high schools, according to the
foundation, are designed to equip students with the skills needed to
successfully complete college-level work and meet the needs of today's
work world.
"This network is about school change," said JFF CEO Marlene Seltzer.
"It's time to re-engineer our secondary schools. Millions of our
teenage
youth are being left behind every day, unprepared to study further or
secure good jobs in our sink-or-swim economy. The good news is that we
have school change strategies, including early college, that show real
promise. Early college high schools respond to the needs of youth who
would otherwise be left behind, engaging and motivating them with a
strong college-preparatory curriculum that allows them to earn credits
in college-level courses and prepares them for higher education."
Early college high schools share the traits of all good schools,
according to the Gates Foundation: personalized learning, academic
rigor
for all students, a common focus and close interpersonal relationships.
Serving as an effective bridge between high school and college, these
schools give students the personal attention and extra help they need
to
succeed in college-level courses.
As of this fall, the foundation reported, nearly 50 early college high
schools have opened, educating more than 8,000 students in 19 states.
By
fall 2008, more than 170 early college high schools will exist
throughout the country, ultimately serving more than 65,000 students.
These new investments in early college high schools build on the
foundation's existing efforts to improve the graduation and
college-going rates, particularly among low-income and minority youth,
by strengthening America's high schools. This fall, nearly 250 new
small
high schools opened across the country. To date, the foundation has
invested $806 million to support the creation of more than 2,000
high-quality schools in 41 states and the District of Columbia.
Here, from the Gates Foundation, is information on some of the key
participating organizations and the levels of funding they received:
Jobs for the Future ($7 million) actively supports the belief that all
young people should have a good-quality high school and postsecondary
education, and that all adults should have the skills needed to hold
jobs that pay enough to support a family. As a non-profit research,
consulting and advocacy organization, JFF works to strengthen our
society by creating educational and economic opportunity for those who
need it most. (www.jff.org)
Antioch University Seattle ($6.1 million), which already coordinates
eight early college high schools in Washington State, will create 10
new
early colleges serving 3,100 students in California, Texas, New York,
Alaska, North Carolina, Oregon, and possibly New Mexico beginning in
fall 2006; three programs will begin the first year, followed by four
new schools in 2007 and three more in 2008. These programs will serve
federally recognized Native American tribes and urban districts with
significant numbers of underserved Native American youth. This
investment builds on a $3.3 million grant awarded in 2002.
(www.antiochsea.edu)
KnowledgeWorks Foundation ($1.2 million) will expand the Ohio-focused
ECHS network by adding two additional schools to the eight schools
already in planning or implementation phases. The two schools will open
by fall 2006 along with a rural site currently being planned and will
continue serving low socioeconomic and underrepresented youth in
postsecondary education. The ECHS programs are one part of a larger
effort to improve statewide high school and postsecondary graduation
rates along with the Ohio High School Transformation Initiative
(OHSTI).
(www.kwfdn.org)
Middle College National Consortium ($6 million), which already oversees
20 early college high schools, will create 10 new schools in
California,
Chicago, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Washington State by 2008 beginning
in fall 2006. These new high schools, which will operate on a college
campus, will serve approximately 5,000 low-income and underserved
youth.
The foundation and its partners previously invested in this model in
2002 with a $7.1 million grant. (www.lagcc.cuny.edu/mcnc/)
National Council of La Raza (NCLR) ($891,340), the largest national
Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, will build on their
existing network of 12 ECHS programs--supported in 2002 with a $6.6
million grant by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation--by developing and
disseminating a school design model that demonstrates the ability of
every Latino student to master a college-preparatory curriculum and
complete two years of a rigorous college education by the time they
graduate high school. By example, NCLR's Early College High School
Demonstration Project will lead the nation in ensuring that every
Latino, English language learner, and immigrant student has the
opportunity to gain a postsecondary degree. To date six schools of
exemplary practice are operating and six more are emerging in nine
states and the District of Columbia. (www.nclr.org)
Portland Community College's Gateway to College ($5.4 million) will
create nine new early college high schools by fall 2008 as a recovery
initiative for out-of-school youth. These schools will emphasize clear
pathways to college for students who previously dropped out of high
school. This investment supplements a previous $4.8 million grant in
support of this model. (www.pcc.edu)
Rochester Area Community Foundation and the Rochester City School
District ($1 million) will create up to five early college high schools
as part of a $5 million grant from the foundation to support
comprehensive redesign of Rochester's secondary schools which includes
two small school multiplex sites and 7-9 Foundation Academies and 10-12
Commencement Academies within redesigned 7-12 schools. (www.rcsdk12.org
University System of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Education
($2
million) will create six new ECHS programs in Atlanta and other Georgia
communities beginning in the fall of 2005 with two schools and with
four
more to follow in fall 2006. As a partnership between the University
System of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Education, Early
Colleges will "reclaim" higher education for African American,
Hispanic,
and other ethnic minorities by closing the achievement gap and
providing
students ages 14-20 with a "real" opportunity for college attainment.
Georgia's first graduating class will complete the ECHS program and
receive an Associate's degree or its equivalent in 2010.
(www.georgiaearlycolleges.org)
Links:
Gates Foundation
http://www.gatesfoundation.org
Jobs for the Future
http://www.jobsforthefuture.com
Early College High School Network
http://www.earlycolleges.org
December 8, 2004
Gates Offers $30M for 'Early Colleges'
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryt...?ArticleID=5410
Nearly $30 million in grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
will be used to expand a national network of early college high schools
(ECHS), intended to provide a fast track to college for underserved
young people, the foundation announced Dec. 7. A sophisticated student
information system will help administrators track the progress of the
program, the Seattle-based foundation said.
A $7 million investment in Jobs for the Future (JFF), which leads the
implementation of the network, will expand the technical assistance
available for the network. JFF will implement a new student information
system (SIS). Through this system, JFF will share data and best
practices to track progress, and support the continuous improvement of
early college high schools, with network grantees and other educational
institutions through 2008.
The SIS will generate public reports on the impact of early college on
student achievement. In addition, JFF will provide on-going support to
early college high school network through workshops and on-line tools,
including a grantee extranet and a web site where education leaders and
policy makers can find the latest research, analysis, and resources on
early college high school designs.
High schools, each working with a university or college, stress
rigorous
curricula in seeking to increase high-school graduation rates and
college readiness for minority youth, according to the foundation.
Students can earn a high school diploma and two years of college credit
or an associate's degree.
More than $22 million will support the creation of 42 new schools
throughout the country through investments in Antioch University
Seattle, the Middle College National Consortium, Portland Community
College's Gateway to College, Rochester Area Community Foundation,
Georgia Department of Education and the University System of Georgia,
KnowledgeWorks Foundation, and the National Council of La Raza.
Early college high schools are designed to increase high school
graduation rates, as well as the number of underserved youth who
achieve
a post-secondary education. According to a 2003 study by the Manhattan
Institute, one-third of all ninth graders will fail to graduate from
high school and two-thirds of those who do graduate will leave
unprepared for college success.
Just half of African-American and Latino youth earn their diploma in
four years, and fewer than 20 percent of those who graduate are ready
for college, the Gates Foundation said. That number is even lower for
Native American youth, who have the lowest college completion rates in
the country, the foundation reported; only 54 percent of Native
American
students graduate from high school and fewer than 3 percent of these
graduates complete a four-year degree program.
"If we fail to prepare all of our young people for the 21st century
economy, the economic and civic health of our nation will continue to
be
at risk," said Tom Vander Ark, executive director of education for the
Gates Foundation. "By investing in new early college high schools, we
hope to prepare more of the students for college, work, and
citizenship--especially underserved youth."
A recent report by the American Diploma Project shows there is an
increasing convergence between the skills needed to earn a family wage
and those required to attend college, including algebra, statistics,
strong oral and written communication skills, and research skills, the
foundation said. Early college high schools, according to the
foundation, are designed to equip students with the skills needed to
successfully complete college-level work and meet the needs of today's
work world.
"This network is about school change," said JFF CEO Marlene Seltzer.
"It's time to re-engineer our secondary schools. Millions of our
teenage
youth are being left behind every day, unprepared to study further or
secure good jobs in our sink-or-swim economy. The good news is that we
have school change strategies, including early college, that show real
promise. Early college high schools respond to the needs of youth who
would otherwise be left behind, engaging and motivating them with a
strong college-preparatory curriculum that allows them to earn credits
in college-level courses and prepares them for higher education."
Early college high schools share the traits of all good schools,
according to the Gates Foundation: personalized learning, academic
rigor
for all students, a common focus and close interpersonal relationships.
Serving as an effective bridge between high school and college, these
schools give students the personal attention and extra help they need
to
succeed in college-level courses.
As of this fall, the foundation reported, nearly 50 early college high
schools have opened, educating more than 8,000 students in 19 states.
By
fall 2008, more than 170 early college high schools will exist
throughout the country, ultimately serving more than 65,000 students.
These new investments in early college high schools build on the
foundation's existing efforts to improve the graduation and
college-going rates, particularly among low-income and minority youth,
by strengthening America's high schools. This fall, nearly 250 new
small
high schools opened across the country. To date, the foundation has
invested $806 million to support the creation of more than 2,000
high-quality schools in 41 states and the District of Columbia.
Here, from the Gates Foundation, is information on some of the key
participating organizations and the levels of funding they received:
Jobs for the Future ($7 million) actively supports the belief that all
young people should have a good-quality high school and postsecondary
education, and that all adults should have the skills needed to hold
jobs that pay enough to support a family. As a non-profit research,
consulting and advocacy organization, JFF works to strengthen our
society by creating educational and economic opportunity for those who
need it most. (www.jff.org)
Antioch University Seattle ($6.1 million), which already coordinates
eight early college high schools in Washington State, will create 10
new
early colleges serving 3,100 students in California, Texas, New York,
Alaska, North Carolina, Oregon, and possibly New Mexico beginning in
fall 2006; three programs will begin the first year, followed by four
new schools in 2007 and three more in 2008. These programs will serve
federally recognized Native American tribes and urban districts with
significant numbers of underserved Native American youth. This
investment builds on a $3.3 million grant awarded in 2002.
(www.antiochsea.edu)
KnowledgeWorks Foundation ($1.2 million) will expand the Ohio-focused
ECHS network by adding two additional schools to the eight schools
already in planning or implementation phases. The two schools will open
by fall 2006 along with a rural site currently being planned and will
continue serving low socioeconomic and underrepresented youth in
postsecondary education. The ECHS programs are one part of a larger
effort to improve statewide high school and postsecondary graduation
rates along with the Ohio High School Transformation Initiative
(OHSTI).
(www.kwfdn.org)
Middle College National Consortium ($6 million), which already oversees
20 early college high schools, will create 10 new schools in
California,
Chicago, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Washington State by 2008 beginning
in fall 2006. These new high schools, which will operate on a college
campus, will serve approximately 5,000 low-income and underserved
youth.
The foundation and its partners previously invested in this model in
2002 with a $7.1 million grant. (www.lagcc.cuny.edu/mcnc/)
National Council of La Raza (NCLR) ($891,340), the largest national
Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, will build on their
existing network of 12 ECHS programs--supported in 2002 with a $6.6
million grant by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation--by developing and
disseminating a school design model that demonstrates the ability of
every Latino student to master a college-preparatory curriculum and
complete two years of a rigorous college education by the time they
graduate high school. By example, NCLR's Early College High School
Demonstration Project will lead the nation in ensuring that every
Latino, English language learner, and immigrant student has the
opportunity to gain a postsecondary degree. To date six schools of
exemplary practice are operating and six more are emerging in nine
states and the District of Columbia. (www.nclr.org)
Portland Community College's Gateway to College ($5.4 million) will
create nine new early college high schools by fall 2008 as a recovery
initiative for out-of-school youth. These schools will emphasize clear
pathways to college for students who previously dropped out of high
school. This investment supplements a previous $4.8 million grant in
support of this model. (www.pcc.edu)
Rochester Area Community Foundation and the Rochester City School
District ($1 million) will create up to five early college high schools
as part of a $5 million grant from the foundation to support
comprehensive redesign of Rochester's secondary schools which includes
two small school multiplex sites and 7-9 Foundation Academies and 10-12
Commencement Academies within redesigned 7-12 schools. (www.rcsdk12.org
University System of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Education
($2
million) will create six new ECHS programs in Atlanta and other Georgia
communities beginning in the fall of 2005 with two schools and with
four
more to follow in fall 2006. As a partnership between the University
System of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Education, Early
Colleges will "reclaim" higher education for African American,
Hispanic,
and other ethnic minorities by closing the achievement gap and
providing
students ages 14-20 with a "real" opportunity for college attainment.
Georgia's first graduating class will complete the ECHS program and
receive an Associate's degree or its equivalent in 2010.
(www.georgiaearlycolleges.org)
Links:
Gates Foundation
http://www.gatesfoundation.org
Jobs for the Future
http://www.jobsforthefuture.com
Early College High School Network
http://www.earlycolleges.org
Comments
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