Washington, DC (PRWEB) June 26, 2013
Students who attend an Early College higher school are significantly a lot more probably to enroll in college and earn a degree than their peers, according to the benefits of a rigorous, multi-year study of 10 schools that have been element of the Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) produced by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Early Colleges in this study yielded important and meaningful improvements in virtually each student outcome examined, stated Andrea Berger of the American Institutes for Investigation (AIR), who led the project.

In 2002, the Foundation launched ECHSI to increase possibilities for underserved students to earn a postsecondary credential. Because then, more than 240 Early Colleges have opened in the United States. Early Colleges partner with colleges and universities to offer you students the likelihood to earn an associates degree or up to two years of college credits toward a bachelors degree for the duration of higher school at tiny or no cost.

The study compared outcomes for students admitted through a lottery to an Early College with outcomes for students who had been not admitted. Crucial findings of Early College, Early Good results: Early College Initiative Influence Study, include:

Early College students have been significantly far more like to graduate from high college than comparison students. Eighty-six % of Early College students graduated from higher school and 81 percent of comparison students graduated from high school.
Early College students have been substantially much more probably to enroll in college than comparison students. For the duration of the study period, 80 % of Early College students enrolled, compared with 71 % for comparison students. Early College students were also more likely than comparison students to enroll in each two-year and in 4-year colleges or universities. 
Early College students had been drastically a lot more most likely to earn a college degree than comparison students. Up to 1 year past high college, 21 % of Early College students earned a college degree (normally, an associates degree), compared to only 1 percent for comparison students. Because they start earning college credits in high school, Early College students need to full college degrees earlier than comparison students.
The influence of Early College on higher school graduation and college enrollment did not differ significantly primarily based on gender, race/ethnicity, household revenue, 1st-generation college-going status, or pre-high college achievement. The effect on earning a college degree was stronger for female, minority and decrease revenue students than for their counterparts.
Although the findings from this study are applicable only to the 10 Early Colleges integrated in the study sample, they provide sturdy proof for the positive impacts of Early Colleges on students In addition, Early Colleges appeared to mitigate the traditional educational attainment gaps in between advantaged and disadvantaged students, the authors wrote in the report.

The ten Early Colleges examined utilised admissions lotteries for the academic years 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08. The overall study sample included 2,458 students. The principal student outcomes for the study have been higher college graduation, college enrollment, and college degree attainment. Data came from administrative records from schools, districts, and states the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) and a survey administered to students. Due to privacy issues, the Early Colleges are not identified in the study.

To read the complete report, go to http://www.air.org.

About AIR 
Established in 1946, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., the American Institutes for Analysis (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science study and delivers technical assistance each domestically and internationally in the regions of overall health, education and workforce productivity. For much more information, check out http://www.air.org.