Early College High School Week: Early College High School @ Midland College

By Steve Thomas, Ph.D.
President, Midland College

In the fall of 2009, Midland College (MC) joined forces with the Midland Independent School District (MISD) in a bold venture based on the principle that academic rigor, combined with the opportunity to save time and money, is a powerful motivator for students to work hard and meet serious intellectual challenges. The result was the formation of Early College High School (ECHS) at Midland College. Students in the program attend high school and college classes on the MC campus. The rigorous program compresses the time it takes to complete a high school diploma and the first two years of college.

The school started in August, 2009 with an entering freshman class of 125 students. Since then, ECHS@MC has grown to include high school freshman, sophomores and juniors with a total enrollment of 255 students, and we will add another cohort next year. ECHS@MC was implemented to recruit first-generation college students who might not graduate from high school, much less attend college, and provide them with an academic environment in a culture of high expectations for their success.

The curriculum is designed so that students take primarily high school classes in the first two years and college courses in the junior and senior year. When students complete all four years they will graduate with a high school diploma and an Associate Degree or two years of college credit toward a Bachelor’s Degree. Since extra-curricular activities are limited, students are able to focus on learning, and the results have been impressive. For the past two years ECHS@MC has been rated as an exemplary campus by the Texas Education Agency, and the students consistently score higher than their peers at other high schools on the state-mandated Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS ) test.

ECHS@MC is a unique collaboration among Midland College, Midland Independent School District and the community because students attend at no cost. MISD and MC share expenses for maintenance and operation of the school. Midland College provides classrooms, office space, utilities and security; MISD provides high school faculty, administrative staff, transportation, food service and textbooks. When students reach their junior year, they are integrated into college courses taught by MC faculty, and there is no charge for college tuition.

The program’s accomplishments have prompted several individuals and organizations to help with tuition costs. The ECHS@MC Scholarship Fund has been established with generous support from Abell-Hanger Foundation, Concho Resources, Wells Fargo Bank, Fasken Foundation, The Rea Charitable Trust, Scharbauer Foundation, Inc., and the Wayne & Jo Ann Moore Charitable Foundation. This strong community support is vital to the program’s future success.

When we initiated ECHS at Midland College, our vision was to create the best early college high school in Texas, and we knew that there would be significant start-up and maintenance costs. We also knew that due to Texas’ economic recession, state support would be reduced, and we would have to manage ECHS@MC on strained budgets. Even with the Draconian cuts to public schools and severe cuts to Midland College after the 82nd Legislative Session, we chose to make ECHS@MC a priority because we are convinced that ECHS@MC is a pathway to success and a better life for students who never dreamed that college was within their reach.