Page 100 - EdViewptsSpring2021

Community College and High

School Partnerships: Increasing

Student Enrollment, Readiness,

and Persistence in College

By Christine Teeney, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Lower Cape

May Regional School District

Community colleges two systems is critical to our national of the many obstacles to successful
and high schools are effort to increase college completion implementation. During our first year
of the program, very few students
rates. (Barnet and Hughes, 2010).
historically very closely As a new administrator to our district participated. Despite the numerous
I arrived eager to implement an Early new dual credit agreements we
linked. In fact, the original had forged, many students didn’t
community colleges were formed as College program to prepare our participate in the courses as the
extensions of secondary schools in the students for post-secondary education. cost was considered too steep for
early decades of the 20th century. Over I quickly hashed out a plan with the our economically disadvantaged
time, the two have evolved into wholly help of many stakeholders, and we population. Those who did elect to
separate educational systems with signed a Memorandum of Agreement enroll were unprepared for the rigor
distinct missions, curricula and funding to make the venture official. and often were unable to successfully
streams. Yet, despite this separation, Although it was a step in the right complete the courses.
developing partnerships between the direction, I’ll admit I was unaware

Educational Viewpoints -98- Spring 2021