Collaborative Research on the Bard High School Early College (BHSEC) Model (2012-2015)

NCREST is partnering with Bard High School Early College (BHSEC), to document key design features and practices associated with its model. In recent years, there has been considerable interest in replicating the BHSEC model as well as in adopting or adapting best practices. With these possibilities in mind, Booth Ferris Foundation awarded BHSEC a grant to conduct a series of studies to document and validate its model. In this project, NCREST is assisting BHSEC:

1. To develop, pilot test, and implement a process for documenting the BHSEC model.
   
2. To create a series of reports and tools that can be used in working with schools, districts, school development organizations, and policy makers seeking to understand and replicate the BHSEC model overall, as well as key component parts.
   
3. To offer professional development that encourages the use of research findings to continuously improve practice in BHSEC schools.

About the partner organization
Bard High School Early College (BHSEC), a pioneering early college high school, opened in 2001 as a collaboratively developed venture of Bard College and the New York City Department of Education. It was created to bring excellent educational experiences - and opportunities for early participation in college - to students of diverse backgrounds and interests. Unlike other early college high schools, most courses at both the secondary and postsecondary level are taught by college faculty. The curriculum is firmly grounded in the liberal arts and students learn critical thinking skills from their first days in the school. Students graduate with both a New York State High School Regents Diploma and an Associate of Arts degree from Bard College.

Key activities
Over the course of this project, NCREST will:

• Oversee the development of a framework that will guide the documentation of key facets of the BHSEC model.
• Facilitate short, intensive workshops in which educators with knowledge of major elements within BHSEC will convene to talk about how they are structured, the features that make them most effective, and any evidence of associated student gains.
• Develop short reports and tools pertaining to key facets of the model.
• Co-develop approaches to disseminating the reports and tools.