This report demonstrates the success of the early college high school program at Lawrence High School. It has improved outcomes for participants, significantly increasing the chances that they will enter college right after high school and earn a degree. While no single educational intervention is a panacea, early college deserves to be scaled--in…

Massachusetts's education agencies support expanding early college high school programs based on their initial success. In fact, think tank MassINC is calling for annual early college enrollment to increase to 45,000 students. This report outlines strategies for reaching that ambitious target: expanding access to early college programs to students…

This critical historical narrative sought to understand how secondary and postsecondary educators can best engage community partners in providing access to a college education--and the opportunities associated with it--for students who have been systemically excluded. Based on extensive archival research and 21 oral history interviews with Upward…

The Massachusetts Early College Initiative eases the pathway to postsecondary education for thousands of high school students annually. Early college programs provide strategically-sequenced, real college classes with strong career orientations during students' regular high school day. When fully realized, they also provide enhanced academic and…

In the United States, college attrition is a problem affecting the outcomes of our educational and labor market pipelines. In 2016, the U.S. Department of Education reported that only 65% of students who enrolled in post-secondary institutions from the graduating class of 2009 persisted or attained a diploma within six years of initial enrollment…

Early college high schools are powerful instruments for success for young men of color, and school leaders must take an intentional approach to remove systemic barriers to their engagement. This report outlines strategies to better recruit and retain young men of color in early college programs and provides examples of successful and emerging…

Higher education institutions are increasingly being assessed on their ability to generate a positive return on investment (ROI) for their graduates. Students, parents, policymakers, education institutions, and rating agencies all use this information as a way to objectively rate colleges and their respective economic returns. Numerous studies…

This article explores how college expectations in 8th grade change by 10th grade, and if students realize the expectations for a given level of college from 8th and 10th grade, in light of the "college for all" ethos. This study is based on administrative data from 235,875 public school students in Massachusetts from 2006 to 2016. Using…

The New Bedford Whaling Museum's High School Apprenticeship Program assists economically disadvantaged New Bedford-area high school students to achieve success in high school and post-secondary education. The museum developed the program as a direct response to low high school graduation rates in New Bedford, one of Massachusetts' poorest cities.…

The "2016 Data Report" identifies and measures state-level indicators linked to outcomes to inform decision-making among Massachusetts education leaders. These indicators focus on critical stages in learning and development from school readiness and early learning to the emergence of a strong and productive workforce. Important…

The Condition of Education in the Commonwealth project provides an annual, evidence-based review of student progress and proficiency throughout the education pipeline from birth into adulthood. Serving as a bellwether for Massachusetts education reform agenda, the project examines learning outcomes and investigates policy solutions to support…

The authors report on a study of eight inclusive STEM high schools that are designed to increase the numbers of students in demographic groups underrepresented in STEM. As STEM schools, they have had broader and deeper STEM coursework (taken by all students) than required by their respective states and school districts; they also had outcome…

"The Condition of College and Career Readiness" looks at the progress of the 2016 ACT®-tested graduating class relative to college and career readiness. This state briefing begins with statistics in the following categories for Massachusetts: performance, STEM, career readiness, impact, behaviors that impact access and opportunity,…

This year's Condition of Education "Action Guide" offers a series of policy and practice changes to support a student-centered approach to education. Student-Centered Learning (SCL) is any instructional approach that begins with the needs and interests of the individual learner and engages students as drivers of their own learning. SCL…

Using data from the first National study on high school preparation for college calculus success, the Factors Influencing College Success in Mathematics (FICSMath) project, this article connects student high school instructional experiences to college calculus performance. The findings reported here reveal that students were better prepared for…