In June 2015, educators and administrators from New Jersey’s Freehold Regional High School District (FRHSD) and Brookdale Community College met to brainstorm ways to use U.S. Department of Education Title I grant money to help economically disadvantaged high school students succeed in college. The goal was to prepare them for the Accuplacer exam and teach […]

In 2011, policymakers for the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) enlisted the services of Columbia University’s Community College Research Center to find out whether tools other than high-stakes exams could be used to determine course placement for incoming students. At the time, more than 65 percent of North Carolina community college students were being […]

Washington state is currently facing a severe K–12 teacher shortage, and career and technical education (CTE) teachers — which help prepare students for entry-level jobs as biomedical researchers, physical therapy assistants, robotics experts, forensic technologists and much more — are in particularly short supply. About four years ago, Olympic College (OC), in Bremerton, Washington, decided […]

Through Holyoke Community College’s (HCC) Gateway to College program, students who’ve disengaged from or dropped out of high school attend classes on campus, earning their diploma while also accumulating college credit. Getting students re-engaged in their education is not always easy. In fact, the first few years of the program were a “nightmare,” says program […]

Clark State Community College is doing its part to address the shortage of cybersecurity professionals. Through National Science Foundation (NSF) grants, the Ohio community college offers high school students cybersecurity internships to develop their interest in the field. The Cybersecurity Summer Internship Program, which started in 2008, is also open to college students. The students […]

Achieving a college degree often comes down to persistence. Recognizing this, Elgin Community College (ECC) in Illinois created Transition Academy, which helps local minority and potential first-generation college students from 9th to 12th grade develop the tools for college success. “We focus on underrepresented groups who have a gap between ability and academic achievement,” says […]

  This spring, 36 students from a dozen schools in Oakland County, Michigan, will complete the Oakland Accelerated College Experience (ACE) program, a partnership between Oakland Community College (OCC) and Oakland Schools. Twenty-five of the students are going to four-year institutions; the other 11 are either continuing at OCC or seeking employment with the degrees […]

At the recent College and Career EXPO hosted by College of the Sequoias (COS), high school students in California’s Central Valley had a chance to compete in hands-on events that tested the technical skills needed in certain careers. Students interested in a career in construction technology were given a pile of lumber and a blueprint, […]

Middle College programs, which allow qualified high school students to simultaneously work toward a diploma and a certificate or associate degree by completing a 13th year of high school, have been a big win for students, colleges and industry partners across the country. That’s certainly been the case for Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC), in […]

A year ago, the Texas state legislature passed a bill that opened the door for increased dual-enrollment opportunities for high school students. Charlotte Twardowski, director of educational services and partnerships at Lone Star College-North Harris, couldn’t be more pleased. This spring, 3,755 high school students were enrolled at her campus through the dual-credit program. “We […]