The Impact of Early College High Schools

In this article in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Clarisse Haxton and seven colleagues from the American Institutes for Research report on their study of the track records of ten early college high schools. This model aims to offer students who are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education the chance to pursue a high-school diploma while earning college credits. The findings: students who were admitted to an early college high school (compared to a control group that was not) had significantly better high-school experiences (college credits earned, college-going culture, and instructor supports), college enrollment, and college degree attainment. The impact of attending an early college high school was stronger for minority and low-income students, as well as for students with higher levels of prior achievement. Being admitted to an early college high school, however, did not have a significant impact on high-school graduation.

“Longitudinal Findings from the Early College High School Initiative Impact Study” by Clarisse Haxton, Mengli Song, Kristina Zeiser, Andrea Berger, Lori Turk-Bicakci, Michael Garet, Joel Knudson, and Gur Hoshen in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, June 2016 (Vol. 38, #2, p. 410-430), available for purchase at 

http://epa.sagepub.com/content/38/2/410.abstract?rss=1 

From the Marshall Memo #639