Early College High Schools (ECHS) partner with post-secondary institutions to award students, specifically those from historically marginalized groups, with significant transferrable college credit--tuition free--along with a high school diploma. Utilizing the frameworks of counterspace and counterstory, this study aimed to understand the…

Research on early college high schools exists, however a gap in literature reveals that "there is an absence of studies that specifically address the ways in which leaders enact justice" (Theoharis, 2007, pg. 222). Numerous stakeholder groups such as educational leaders, public servants, and researchers can benefit from the outcomes of…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact early college high school, and dual credit programs had on students grade point average, the number of college credits earned, persistence rates, and completion rates at a central Texas community college. The researcher used a non-experimental quantitative study, with secondary non-identifying…

Early college high schools, which allow underrepresented students to earn up to an associate's degree during 9th through 12th grades, have been lauded for their potential to increase college access and opportunity. Yet little is known about the role of the principal. Using data drawn from 10 administrators in the borderlands of West Texas, this…

This quantitative study examined factors that determined if economically disadvantaged and English language learner students graduating from traditional or early college high school were college and career ready. Effective data was collected from campuses in the Region One educational service center in South Texas. The study was guided by the…

The early college high school (ECHS) model is a postsecondary attainment strategy with a uniquely robust evidence base of research that demonstrates its effectiveness. Despite the proven track record of success, many states either do not offer ECHS opportunities or have a limited number of programs. However, two states -- North Carolina and Texas…

As originally conceptualized, Early Colleges were small schools focused purposefully on college readiness for all students. Frequently located on college campuses, Early Colleges targeted students who might face challenges in postsecondary education, including students who were the first in their family to go to college, economically disadvantaged…

Given the positive impacts of the small, stand-alone early college model and the desire to provide those benefits to more students, organizations have begun efforts to scale up the early college model in a variety of settings. These efforts have been supported by the federal government, particularly by the Investing in Innovation (i3) program.…

This study examined leadership style as a predictor of career readiness among a sample of (N = 281) students from two early college high schools from the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. Participants included 165 females and 116 males ranging from 14 to 19 years of age and 96.8% identified as Hispanic. Participants provided demographic…

As originally conceptualized, Early Colleges were small schools focused purposefully on college readiness for all students. Frequently located on college campuses, Early Colleges targeted students who might face challenges in postsecondary education, including students who were the first in their family to go to college, economically disadvantaged…

This quantitative study was designed to investigate the differences between the traditional high school and the Early College High School (ECHS) in a school district in southeast Texas. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect that participation in an early college high school program has on student attendance and achievement in…

In this brief, we describe the distribution of college prep course offerings across Texas and determine which school characteristics are associated with higher and lower numbers of course offerings. We also examine how college prep course offerings are related to student-level college prep course-taking and, in turn, how course-taking behaviors…

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…

This qualitative case study examines the challenges facing rural secondary schools in transitioning youth from high school to post-secondary education and careers, and whether the interventions, strategies and support built into the Early College High School could offer a solution to this long-standing challenge to better meet the needs of special…

An alarming convergence of factors--diminishing percentages of high school graduates enrolling immediately in postsecondary education, traditionally underserved students comprising a growing proportion of the overall U.S. school population, and projections that more occupations in the future will need education beyond high school--suggest that…