News and Announcements

Listen to the 3-part podcast series featuring Dr. Julie Edmunds, Executive Director of the Early College Research Center at UNC Greensboro, and Mr. Matt Bristow-Smith, Principal at Edgecombe Early College High School. The episodes broach the topic of Early College High Schools using an equity lens, giving insight into the rights of all students to have an equal choice and voice to excel in an Early College High School environment. All three episodes provide a rare opportunity for two experts, a researcher, and a practitioner, to offer insight into the topic of Early College High School. Listen to the podcasts.

The Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) February newsletter, OCTAE Connections, highlights the recent report, CTE-Focused Dual Enrollment: Participation and Outcomes from the Early College Research Center.  

Recent policy efforts have attempted to increase the number of dual enrollment courses offered within Career and Technical Education pathways and there is evidence to suggest that this practice is widespread. However, there is very little research on student participation in CTE dual enrollment and on its impacts. This study examines participation in the CTE dual enrollment pathway in North Carolina, finding that about 9% of North Carolina students participated in CTE dual enrollment courses in 11th or 12th grade and disparities in participation among subgroups were less than for college transfer dual enrollment courses. Using a quasi-experimental approach to examine the effect of the program, the study found that participation is CTE was positively associated with college credits earned in high school, graduation from high school, and overall enrollment in college within one year after high school. The study also examined results by subgroup. Read the full report.

View the infographic developed by the Career & Technical Education Research Network summarizing the report.

Q&A – Research reveals the strengths and challenges of the early college model.

EdNC recently interviewed Dr. Julie Edmunds (Executive Director with the Early College Research Center at UNC Greensboro, Dr. Nina Arshavsky (Senior Research Specialist with the Early College Research Center at UNC Greensboro), and Dr. Beth Glennie (Senior Research Education Analyst, RTI International) about the early college high school model. Read the interview.  

Early Colleges As A Model for Schooling: Creating New Pathways for Access to Higher Education

This new book uses early college research to argue that all students should have access to a combined high school and college experience.

Read the Washington Post article.     Book  available at:  Harvard Education Press and Amazon