"Pathways to Implementation" highlights innovative strategies and effective models in career pathways policy, implementation, and programming, as well as challenges states encounter in this work. This seven-part series addresses the key elements of Bellwether's framework for career pathways policy implementation. Each brief defines the…

This study evaluated the implementation and impact of the School of Interactive Arts (SIA), a scalable, in-class instructional model designed to introduce high school students to computer science and video game design through a virtual platform called Ghost School. Conducted in New York City Department of Education public high schools, the study…

The CORE Districts, a nonprofit formed by large urban districts in California, received a Networks for School Improvement grant from the Gates Foundation to launch a network focused on improving ninth-grade on-track rates. CORE based its approach on the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Breakthrough Collaborative model, where a hub identifies…

In 2016, Illinois initiated a statewide transitional math program to support students to be academically ready in college-level math before graduating from high school. This qualitative study focuses on the perspective of community college faculty and administrators on the statewide implementation of transitional math programs. We find that a…

There is currently a heavy emphasis on career-connected learning for high school students in New York City. ExpandED Schools' science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) Options (ES Options) program predates the newest of these initiatives. Launched in 2019, ES Options combines a credit-bearing STEM apprenticeship in the spring with a…

This report explores how college transition plans can support high school students increase their access to postsecondary degree, credential and certificate programs. Some subgroups of students find navigating the college planning and readying processes particularly challenging, including those from low-income backgrounds, in the foster care…

This mixed methods experimental study examined the impacts of the Early College High School model on students' college readiness in mathematics measured by their success in college preparatory mathematics courses in the 9th through 11th grades, and disaggregated for academically prepared and underprepared students. This study looked at the…

"Pathways to Implementation" highlights innovative strategies and effective models in career pathways policy, implementation, and programming, as well as challenges states encounter in this work. This seven-part series addresses the key elements of Bellwether's framework for career pathways policy implementation. Each brief defines the…

This report describes the evaluation of Lone Star AP CSP, a program developed by the National Mathematics + Science Initiative and funded by a 2019 Education Innovation and Research grant. The three-year program aimed to increase student access to and success in the Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles (CSP) course in 37 Texas high…

"Pathways to Implementation" highlights innovative strategies and effective models in career pathways policy, implementation, and programming, as well as challenges states encounter in this work. This seven-part series addresses the key elements of Bellwether's framework for career pathways policy implementation. Each brief defines the…

The Rural Early College Network (RECN) aimed to help rural Indiana schools more quickly implement the Early College (EC) model with fidelity and increase the number and quality of Early College programs throughout rural parts of the state. The initiative was led by the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL) at the University of…

Dual enrollment, also known as dual credit, allows students to take college courses during high school. Studies have shown that dual enrollment has a positive impact on students' educational attainment. However, dual enrollment is complicated to implement given that it requires a partnership between a high school or district and a postsecondary…

Getting a head start on college coursework in high school has become an even more important goal for high school students in recent years, due in part to the rising costs of obtaining traditional four-year college degrees coupled with the disruptions in learning for high school and college students due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now more than ever,…

The Accelerate Cancer Education (ACE) summer research program at The University of Kansas Cancer Center (KUCC) is a six-week, cancer-focused, summer research experience for high school students from historically marginalized populations in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Cancer affects all populations and continues to be the second leading…

In 2019, the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), in partnership with the University of Rhode Island (URI), launched the Work-Based Learning for Computer Science (WBL4CS) project through an Education Innovation Research (EIR) grant. The initiative aimed to expand access to computer science (CS) education for high school students,…