College Readiness > Partnerships and Collaboration

College Connection. Through the College Connection program, Austin Community College connects with Austin-area high school students to encourage them to attend college and help them successfully transition. The program provides free placement testing, assistance with college and financial aid applications, and college advising.

College Reach Out Program (CROP). A statewide initiative in Florida, CROP is designed to strengthen college-going aspirations and preparation of low-income 8th–12th grade students.

Early College High School Partnerships. With the support of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the State of New York, SUNY is leading the development and implementation of a statewide network of 23 Early College High School (ECHS) partnerships to help at-risk students earn 20 or more college credits prior to graduation.  Since 2010, over 5,100 students have participated in the Smart Scholars ECHS initiative, and 3,105 students have earned 8,723 transferrable credits.  In 2013, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced funding for 16 new public-private partnerships to prepare high school students for high-skill jobs in technology, manufacturing, and healthcare.  Modeled after IBM’s Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) in New York City—a member of the Smart Scholars network—students will earn an associate’s degree at no cost to their families and will be first in line for jobs with participating companies when they graduate.

EDGE Initiative. The Earn a Degree, Graduate Early (EDGE) initiative, from the West Virginia Community and Technical Colleges and the West Virginia Department of Education, promotes collaboration among high schools, colleges, and businesses. The tech-prep program offers a rigorous, seamless curriculum, work-based learning, and career development.

Education Commission of the States. The commission maintains an online database with information about collaborative councils across all 50 states.

Gulf Coast Partners for Student Success (Texas).  Through Gulf Coast Partners for Student Success, leaders, faculty, and staff from nine community colleges and 11 school districts are involved in intensive work to align expectations and curricula, build a strong college-going culture, and ensure college readiness of high school graduates.

League for Innovation in the Community College. The League released the Significant Discussions: A Guide for Secondary and Postsecondary Curriculum Alignment.

Student Transitions Information for Progress (STIP). Community Colleges of Spokane are currently partnering with more than 40 public high school districts in eastern and central Washington on STIP, a grant-funded research project. The specific goals of the project are to (1) continue to build evaluative capacity in an effort to provide high schools with relevant student data; (2) institutionalize data sharing and analysis among education partners; and (3) broaden the scope of the study to include specialized cohorts of students in high-demand STEM pathways.  The purpose of the research project is to enhance the data reporting that guides local and policy-level career and college readiness decision-making processes at both public education and postsecondary education levels.

The Long Beach Seamless Education Partnership (California).  The Long Beach Seamless Education Partnership grew from a broad consortium of civic, business, and education leaders who met in 1994 to discuss drivers for economic growth.  The partnership involves the Long Beach Unified School District, Long Beach City College, and California State University at Long Beach, and seeks to increase alignment between elementary, secondary, and postsecondary institutions.  The initiative comprises many programs, including early assessment, family outreach, college pathways, and enhanced counseling.  In addition, data on student progress is shared among the partners.  Results have demonstrated increased proficiency in math and English among high school students, reduced placement into remedial coursework in college, increased college enrollment, increased college persistence, and increased persistence of transfer students.

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