Dive Brief:
- Franklin County Public Schools in Kentucky offers students an Advanced STEM Pathway in collaboration with Kentucky State University, giving them a chance to graduate high school with a diploma as well as an associate degree.
- Superintendent Chrissy Jones writes for District Administration that students in the program, now in its first year, check in at their high schools each morning and then go to Kentucky State to take classes.
- A dual credit program offers students statewide access to three free college-level courses, generally taught by high school teachers under the supervision of a sponsoring college, and students can continue with more college courses, paying a deeply discounted rate.
Dive Insight:
Research has shown that students who are exposed to rigorous courses in high school do better in college, even if they don’t excel in the courses when they take them. College-level courses have the opportunity to expose students to college-level expectations, which prepares them for post-secondary programs, wherever they are.
Some educators have begun to say schools need to do more than expose students to the idea of college, and instead expose them to the experience of college. The popular P-TECH model gives students six years to graduate high school with an associate degree. And the 21st Century Charter School in Gary, IN, expects its high school seniors to graduate this spring with a bachelor’s degree, too.