Early College
Early College is a new model that blends high school and the first two years of college for the purpose of finding more successful ways to educate young people through high school and the completion of some form of post-secondary education, so that more will be prepared to contribute to our knowledge-based economy and attain a higher quality of life. Early College will be a lifeline to the current generation of high school students, enabling more to graduate from high school and complete at least two years of college, while allowing the Georgia Department of Education and University System of Georgia to study the program as a potential model for changing the educational systems statewide for students, ages 14-20. A number of policy considerations will be examined as the Early College and Gateway Academy (an Early College model for drop-out recovery described below) attain the goals of Georgia's Early Colleges. These policy considerations include the allocation of funds to sustain and replicate Early Colleges, the amount of high school credit that should be awarded for completion of dual enrollment courses, seat time requirements for Early College students, funding for dual enrollment courses and books, and end of course testing.
Goals of Georgia's Early Colleges:
- Goal 1: To increase college readiness and college success of high school graduates traditionally underserved in the University System of Georgia.
- Goal 2: To develop and test model programs for young people, ages 14 to 20, that get better results, are more coherent, less duplicative, and make possible a shorter time to completion of an associate degree or two years of college.
- Goal 3: To study the effectiveness of the Early College model for reducing the high school dropout rate, and for increasing the college admission and college success rates of African American males and Hispanic students, and other traditionally underserved students.
- Goal 4: To replicate throughout Georgia the successes of Early Colleges.
For more Information Contact:
Office of P-16 Initiatives
University System of Georgia
270 Washington Street, SW
Atlanta, GA 30334
Tel. (404) 404-656-7836
Fax (404) 463-1760
Website: www.gaearlycollege.org
dawn.cooper@usg.edu
Director: Dawn Cooper