Vincennes University is first in Early College High School partnerships, leading Indiana’s higher education institutions with five active early college partnerships and three others in development. In addition to the three Early College High Schools participating in the 2010 X-Mester, Vincennes is also working in partnership with school districts in both Evansville and Washington, Ind., to provide ECHS programming. The EVSC Early College Academy will be a rare four-school collaborative between Vincennes University, Ivy Tech Community College, the University of Southern Indiana and the University of Evansville. Below are some answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding the early college model.
What are early college high schools?
Early college high schools are small schools designed so that students can earn both a high school diploma and an Associate’s degree or up to two years of credit toward a Bachelor’s degree.
Why are early college high schools needed?
Early College High Schools challenge low expectations by helping students see themselves as both high school and college students.
- For every 100 low-income students who start high school, only 65 will get a high school diploma and only 45 will enroll in college. Only 11 will complete a postsecondary degree.
- High school graduates from poor families who score in the top testing quartile are no more likely than their lowest-scoring, affluent peers to attend college. The former enroll at rates of 78 percent; the latter at 77 percent.
How many early college high schools are there now? How many will there be?
As of the 2008-09 school year, the early college high school initiative had started more than 200 schools in 24 states.
Does early college work?
Roughly three-fourths of students attending early college high schools are students of color, while nearly 60 percent report eligibility for free or reduced-priced lunch (a conservative indication of the number of students from low-income families). Most students attending early college high schools will be the first in their families to go to college. In 2007, more than 900 students graduated from 17 early college high schools around the country. Preliminary data show that:
- More than 65 percent of the graduates were accepted to four-year colleges. Others have chosen to complete an Associate’s degree by spending a fifth year at their early college high school.
- More than 85 percent graduated with substantial college credit.
- More than 250 early college high school graduates earned merit-based college scholarships. Four earned the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship, awarded to 1,000 high-achieving, low-income students each year.
Contacts for Specific Schools & Programs
Ben Davis University High School — Dr. Nicole Shankle (317.988.7800,nshankle@vinu.edu)
Early College at Center Grove — Joshua Baker (317.881.0581, jbaker@vinu.edu)
Evansville Early College — Wendy McNamara (812.492.0532, wendy.mcnamara@evsc.k12.in.us)
Lawrenceburg Early College — Tonya Mathis, M.Ed. (812.888.4176, tmathis@vinu.edu)
Washington Early College — Maria Killion (812.254.8352, mkillion@vinu.edu)
Project EXCEL — Heather Moffat (812.888.4120, hmoffat@vinu.edu)
Non-Partner High Schools — Dr. Nicole Shankle (317.988.7800, nshankle@vinu.edu)
East Allen University Early College - Dr. Odelet Nance (260.446.0240 ext 7502, onance@vinu.edu)
