Blurring the Lines for Student Benefit

Executive Perspective

Five years ago, my friend and colleague Walter Bumphus, president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges, and I assembled superintendents and community college presidents in an attempt to blur the lines between K-12 and higher education.

At that first meeting, superintendents sat on one side of the table and the presidents gathered on the other side. The divide was palpable, yet a willingness existed to explore potential areas of collaboration.

We recently held the latest meeting of the two groups, and the progress that has been made in the growth of dual enrollment and college and career readiness programs is impressive. Superintendents and presidents no longer sit on opposite sides of the table. They now come to the meetings as a team. The partnerships formed by these colleges and school districts have erased the lines between K-12 and higher ed and their students are benefiting from the resulting K-14 model.

Easy Access

Superintendent Mike Cady heads up the one-campus, 3,000-student Pewaukee School District in Wisconsin. Pewaukee, a winner of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, sits adjacent to the Waukesha County Technical College. The proximity of the two institutions has led to a unique and productive partnership.

As a Redefining Ready! school district, Pewaukee has changed its accountability measures to focus on more than just test scores. The expanded expectations for graduates include earning college credits and/or a certificate in a skill area. This is made possible through the partnership with the technical college, where the high school students can simply walk across the street to take their courses.

Brad Piazza, vice president of learning at the college, indicated they have donated space to the high school for a special education program for students 18-21 years old because they are more comfortable in an environment with same-age peers. These two neighboring institutions are working together to make all their students future ready.

Tuition Savings

Bryan Albrecht, president of Gateway Technical College in Racine, Wis., proudly points to his college’s partnership with all of the K-12 districts in his area. Every year, thousands of high school students take college courses at Gateway, earning college credits and saving over $3 million in tuition. Many courses are taught by high school teachers, and students also can participate in youth apprenticeships, earning college credits, receiving certification in a skill and earning money while in school.

Jason Tadlock, superintendent of the Elkhorn Area School District in Wisconsin, partners with Gateway. Elkhorn, another Redefining Ready! district, has 73 percent of its students earning college credits along with career-based experiences and industry-based certification. The high school provides all students with pathways to be prepared for college and/or the workplace with options that save them substantial tuition costs.

While many partnerships start with high school juniors, the P-Tech program developed by IBM starts in the 9th grade. Hazard Community and Technical College in Kentucky, recipient of a U.S. Department of Education STEM Apprenticeship Grant, is replicating the P-Tech model, calling it K-Tech. Hazard is partnering with the Perry County School District and the Hazard School District, focusing on health care, information technology and manufacturing. The partnering employers pay the apprentices, mentor them and provide competency-based learning.

There are many more thriving examples of collaboration between school districts, community colleges and the private sector, transforming education as they provide for the needs of all their students, not just the 40 percent who will go on to earn a four-year college degree.