News

January 11, 2006
Edgecombe Early College High School is Charting New Paths in Secondary Education

 
From left, Edgecombe Early College High School seniors Samantha Ryan and Chauncey Leggett say Early College has been the right fit for them. "We have more freedom, but at the same time, more responsibility," says Leggett. "We are expected to do more on our own." Shown right is Kathy Webb, College Liaison and High School Coordinator.

After just one semester, Edgecombe Early College High School is garnering accolades from educators, parents, and students alike.

      The Early College's first semester was fall 2005. It is the county's fourth high school. The initiative is part of Governor Easley's Learn and Earn program, designed to provide incentive for high school students to stay in school.

      The program begins with the ninth grade and ends with the 13th year of study. In five years, students earn a high school diploma and an associate's degree or two years of university credit toward a four-year degree.

      Early College operates in a building on the campus of Edgecombe Community College. As part of its commitment to the school, ECC created in August 2005 the position of College Liaison and High School Coordinator. Kathy Webb, who has taught science at ECC for eight years, is serving in this role.

     "Our job is to help students ease into the transition from high school to college," she says. "It's a misnomer that only college-prep people go to college. All students should be prepared to go to college. If we are going to produce a competitive workforce, students have to be educated."

      Freshmen take at least one college course. About half of the classes taken by upperclassmen are college-level.

      Senior Samantha Ryan says the Early College experience will "help me in the future when I go to N.C. State." In fall 2005 she took three college-level courses and two high school courses. She plans to attend N.C. State and eventually transfer into its college of veterinary medicine. "As long as I can remember, being a veterinarian is all I've wanted to do," she says.

     "Our Early College student population needs to reflect the socioeconomic diversity of our county, and it does," says Webb. Early College enrolls about 70 students; 125 is the goal.

      The staff comprises six teachers, a student counselor, an administrative assistant, and a principal. Classes average about 15 students. Parent Stephanie Griffin says the small class size is a definite advantage of Early College. Her son, Landon, is a 10th grader at the Early College. "I love the close-knit environment," she says. "Landon is getting to know his teachers, and they are getting to know him. There were 30 other students in his classes at his former high school. My son just wasn't getting enough personal attention and encouragement."

      A rigorous curriculum and flexible schedule are other distinctive features. Explains Webb: "Early College students are all different, all unique. We have a number of students who are very, very bright. They simply weren't being challenged by the traditional high school. We also have several students who work to support their families. Our schedule is more flexible than that of a traditional high school, so they are able to work and go to school."

      The flexible schedule is unique among other early college high school programs in the state. "Most of the other early colleges in North Carolina follow the traditional high school schedule," says Early College Principal Marcia Edge. "We observe a 9 to 5 schedule Monday through Thursday and half a day on Friday. Fridays are usually reserved for special activities, such as intensive workshops."

      The Early College provides an alternative to the traditional high school, but students are held to the same academic standards. Early College students are expected to complete all courses required for graduation by the state of North Carolina and the Edgecombe County Board of Education.

      All of the high school classes offered at the Early College are honors classes. "We have a creative curriculum," Edge says. "All of our students have to choose a college pathway. It may be College Transfer or it may be specific to a particular bachelor's degree, such as criminal justice. But when they leave here, they have the option of going to a four-year school."

      One of the most challenging assignments in the Early College curriculum is the senior project, which is a major research project. The project has to result in some type of 'product.' "One of our students is working on a project on rheumatoid arthritis," says Edge. "Part of her objective is to produce a pamphlet to give to local physicians. The senior project has to have a community-focus."

      Samantha Ryan is tying her senior project to her career goal of becoming a veterinarian. She is looking at how veterinarian practices are important to the community, and she is developing a brochure on pet care for local veterinary offices.

      School officials across North Carolina are taking note of the Edgecombe Early College High School. "Just recently, Greene, Chatham, and Johnston counties sent representatives to our Early College," says Edge. "There is great interest in our program, and we take enormous pride in the fact that we are a leader in this new approach to secondary education."

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