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Starter Kit: Launch an Early College

Starter Kit: Launch an Early College

This tool kit is for districts and/or schools that want to launch and continually improve early college and career pathway programs. It includes templates and examples of project planning documents and implementation resources.

June 26, 2019

At a Glance

This tool kit is for districts and/or schools that want to launch and continually improve early college and career pathway programs. It includes templates and examples of project planning documents and implementation resources.

Contributors
Caesar Mickens Jr.
Emily Riddles, Teachers College, NCREST
Topics
Plan
- Set Goals and Vision - Create Memoranda of Understanding - Draft Annual Plans
Execute
- Hire Staff - Develop Course Content
Evolve
- Guide Students Along Career Pathways - Engage in Professional Development - Collect and Use Data for Ongoing Improvement

Access the resources below for help with each critical step. You can also reach out to JFF if you want us to consult with you on your early college or pathways initiative. Contact us at info@jff.org.

Tools
Tool Set Goals & Vision
Set Goals & Vision Creating a scope and sense of what you and your partners want out of your early college development is an important first step in any early college design project. This resource…
June 26, 2019
Tool Create an MOU
Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) are absolutely necessary, especially for early college and career pathway programs. Although trust should be a major part of working with partners, it’s important to get agreements in writing. MOUs provides…
June 26, 2019
Tool Draft Annual Plans
It should come as no surprise that planning is one of the essential components to designing, implementing, and continuously improving early college and career pathway programs. Plans provide an opportunity and framework to establish benchmarks…
June 26, 2019
Tool Hire Staff
Creating early college requires some special key players. Why re-create the proverbial wheel? These resources provide examples of job descriptions for early college and career pathway schools. Please feel free to customize them for your…
June 26, 2019
Tool Develop Course Content
These resources will give early college and career pathway programs an opportunity to review course content and syllabi that were offered at various early college and career pathway programs. Feel free to customize these resources…
June 26, 2019
Tool Guide Student Career Pathways
Guide Student Career Pathways Career pathways are a hallmark of the early college experience, which should prepare students to enter either postsecondary or the workforce after completing a credential. This resource shows how to set…
June 26, 2019
Tool Engage in Professional Development
Engage in Professional Development Professional development for teachers, leaders, and support staff is essential for student and program development. Of course, there are numerous approaches to professional development, such as coaching, workshops, peer-to-peer, etc. These…
June 26, 2019
Use Data to Inform Ongoing Improvement
Students enrolled in early college programs engage in both college and high school coursework and activities. To better understand students’ early college experiences and ensure that they get the support they need to succeed, it is important to collect data from a variety of sources and review and discuss that data on a regular basis.
Resources

Here are the school districts that were involved in developing these materials:

  • Genesee Intermediate School District
  • Washtenaw Intermediate School District
  • Delta-Schoolcraft Intermediate School District
  • Lapeer County Intermediate School District
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