Early College is a successful state education initiative that has tremendous potential to equalize economic opportunities and address growing workforce needs. As the state develops a 5-year strategic plan for Early College, scheduled for approval in June, MBAE joins the Massachusetts Alliance for Early College (MA4EC) in calling for key elements that will allow the initiative to realize its full potential.

Our shared priorities include:

• Establishing a statewide goal to enroll 25,000 students in Early College by 2030. As of this school year, Early College serves about 9,000 students. To close a quarter of the college success equity gap by race and income, MA4EC aims to eventually serve 45,000 students.
• Securing increased funding in the state budget to support Early College expansion.
• Deepening career theming within the model to engage a wider range of students and create stronger connections to workforce opportunities – particularly those in leading sectors like healthcare and the life sciences.

MBAE was pleased to partner with MassINC on their recent report, Early College Life Sciences Pathways, which lays out how state agencies, high schools, higher education, and industry can come together to provide students with avenues to rewarding careers in this high-demand field. A previous report, Tapping the Power of Health Pathways in Early College High Schools, charts a path to address the growing healthcare workforce crisis by putting students on a firmer and faster course through postsecondary studies and into medicine, nursing, and allied health careers.

The state should also revive efforts to launch STEM Tech Career Academies, modeled after the P-TECH high schools that MBAE has been advocating to bring to MA, that create pathways to STEM careers, particularly for Black and Latino students who are underrepresented in these fields.

To learn more about Early College and its impact, visit our Early College page or https://ma4ec.org/