Massachusetts’ Early College initiative is quietly establishing a new standard for rigorously evaluating a strategic effort that aspires to increase educational outcomes for students across the state. This research brief sheds light on this evaluation framework and the impressive performance that the methods reveal to date. We then surface unanswered research questions and evaluation challenges that the initiative will confront, as high schools and their higher education partners work to rapidly expand access to Early College.
New Data Shows Early College is Delivering as Promised for Massachusetts
Key Takeaways
- Early College doubles the likelihood that students in the target population enroll and persist in postsecondary studies
- Teasing out differences across programs and ensuring strong outcomes as Early Colleges grow will require a mixed-methods approach to evaluation