In response to a rapidly changing world, high schools are increasingly working to blend college and career preparation to maximize students’ readiness for the future. To that end, a prominent strategy is taking hold in Massachusetts: career-connected Early College. What is this approach, and what does it look like in practice?
The Rennie Center is proud to release a new report produced in partnership with the Massachusetts Alliance for Early College, Delivering Career-Connected Early College in Massachusetts: Lessons from Innovative Partnerships.
The report profiles five Early College partnerships across the state that emphasize a joint focus on college and career readiness, cataloging how each structures its program to help students build college credit and professional momentum at the same time. The five featured partnerships are:
- Dearborn STEM Academy (Boston)
- B.M.C. Durfee High School (Fall River)
- Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School (Haverhill)
- Gardner High School (Gardner)
- Mount Everett Regional School (Southern Berkshires)
The report also provides a framework for understanding and implementing career-connected Early College, outlining its core components, key considerations for program design, and enabling conditions. Within this framework are timely lessons for practitioners and policymakers as they continue working to expand Early College in Massachusetts.
Overall, this research highlights the importance of breaking down silos in postsecondary pathways to achieve a more comprehensive vision of future readiness—ensuring that all students are prepared for futures of limitless possibility in which they achieve prosperity and purpose.