An update of an American Institutes for Research study on Early College High Schools, which added an extra year of data to the previously published analysis, finds that 81 percent of Early College students had enrolled in postsecondary education, compared to 72 percent of their peers not in Early College High Schools. In addition, within the two years following high school, 23 percent of Early College students had received an associate degree, compared to just 2 percent of other students.
Promising practices in helping youth and adults who have dropped out to attain a high school credential or GED and transition to college were recently profiled by MDRC. While rigorous research on such programs is limited, the publication highlights two studies that suggest that teaching basic skills and GED instruction in the context of specific career training, with wraparound supports, shows promise in helping youth and adults earn a credential and move forward. Promising programs include the I-BEST program and LaGuardia Community College's GED Bridge program.
In addition, a recent report from the Association of American Colleges and Universities, How Liberal Arts and Sciences Majors Fare in Employment, finds that while liberal arts majors start out earning less than their peers in professional and pre-professional programs such as business, health care and education, these two groups earn roughly equal incomes later in life. Students in the physical sciences, natural sciences and mathematics earn the most later in life. The authors emphasize that, regardless of major, successful employees need both broad knowledge and specific job-related skills, as well as critical thinking, communication and problem-solving skills.
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