Commissioner Jeff Riley announced last week that Early College is one of three priority strategies he’d like to see districts adopt as part of the three-year plans they are required to develop to close equity and opportunity gaps.

While relatively new in Massachusetts, research from other states shows that Early College programs increase college completion rates, particularly for low-income students. This is a critical goal in Massachusetts where the vast majority of jobs require a two- or four-year degree or credential and yet only 45% of ninth graders go on to earn one and just 15% of low-income students complete a post-secondary degree within six years.

Early College is a partnership between a high school and a college in which high school students gain college credits along a career-oriented pathway. These programs reduce the cost of college through the accumulation of credits, prepare students for workforce opportunities, and help build the diverse workforce Massachusetts needs to sustain and grow our companies and economy.

Seventeen early college programs involving thirty-four high schools and fifteen higher education institutions enrolling over 2,000 students and growing each year have already received state designation. An additional twenty-two programs applied for designation in the fall of 2019.

MBAE strongly supports efforts to sustain and grow these programs. That requires state funding for higher education institutions in designated Early College programs to cover their share of the associated costs, which have until now been funded through private grants that are expiring and unreliable pieced together funding streams.

Read MassINC’s research on Early College in Massachusetts here.