1. 2014 OSSE Conference Presentation
Clara Haskell Botstein, Director of Early College Strategy |
January 2014

2. Bard Early Colleges meet a critical national need to rethink college preparation and the high school to college continuum
THE PROBLEM
The United States faces a crisis in the education of adolescents. This is evidenced by low high school graduation rates, high remedial education rates, and low college completion rates.
A CRITICAL NEED
The United States must better prepare motivated young people from diverse backgrounds to gain access to and thrive in challenging college classrooms.
OUR MISSION
By offering public high school-age students a tuition-free college course of study in the liberal arts and sciences, Bard Early Colleges seek to raise the quality and standards of secondary education and enable students from all backgrounds to succeed in college, at Bard Early College campuses and beyond.

3. Bard Early Colleges are rooted in three core principles1
Inspire and prepare high school-age students to become engaged citizens and leaders across fields through a rigorous course of study that emphasizes critical thinking, writing, inquiry, and discourse 2
Improve college access, affordability, and completion for adolescents by allowing them to earn up to two years of tuition-free, transferable Bard College credits and an associate’s degree 3
Bridge the gap between high school and college by bringing the key characteristics of liberal arts college classrooms to public high school settings

4. ABOUT BARD EARLY COLLEGES
Bard Early Colleges are innovative, academically rigorous public-private partnerships
ABOUT BARD EARLY COLLEGES
Bard Early Colleges provide students with a tuition-free liberal arts college course of study after the 9th and 10th grades.
Bard College runs full-time, four-year early colleges in which students complete two years of college and an Associate in Arts degree as well as part-time, two-year early colleges in which students complete one year of college.
Bard Early Colleges’ core elements include: tuition-free, credit-bearing college courses; liberal arts curriculum; college faculty; small, writing- intensive, discussion-based seminar classes; and robust student supports.

5. Where we have come and where we are going
HISTORY AND GROWTH
Simon’s Rock, the nation’s first private, residential early college, became part of Bard College in 1979, inspiring Bard to establish early colleges in a public school setting.
Bard High School Early College (BHSEC) Manhattan opened in 2001; BHSEC Queens in 2008; Bard Early College New Orleans in 2008; BHSEC Newark in 2011; and the Bard Early College at the Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy in 2013.
Bard’s team is currently working to expand its network and to advocate for public policies at the local, state, and federal levels that support early colleges.

6. ADMISSIONS & DIVERSITY
Bard’s early colleges enroll diverse groups of students, many of whom are underrepresented in higher education
ADMISSIONS & DIVERSITY
Students are selected through a qualitative and quantitative assessment process, with the goal of enrolling intellectually curious students from diverse backgrounds.
591 students
43% FRPL
601 students
23% FRPL
246 students
75% FRPL
131 students
87% FRPL

7. Bard Early Colleges have strong academic results
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE
A.A. DEGREE ATTAINMENT
B.A. DEGREE ATTAINMENT
BHSEC stats:
60% enroll in public colleges and universities; 40% in private colleges.
All public colleges accept the Bard credits, as do many private colleges, including but not limited to: Oberlin, Boston University, Syracuse, George Washington University, American, and Occidental.
93% of students report GPAs above 3.0 in college.
Over 30% of students earn degrees in STEM fields.
54% of alumni have earned, are pursuing, or intend to pursue a graduate degree.
51 students in the Classes of have enrolled at Bard College.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 2012.

8. The Bard Early Colleges have received recognition and praise
Barack Obama President, United States of America
“We should also explore innovative approaches being pursued here in New York City; innovations like Bard High School Early College…that are challenging students to complete high school and earn a free associate's degree or college credit in just four years.”
“A visit to Bard High School Early College (BHSEC) is a glimpse into the realm of the possible…One of the things BHSEC has shown is that kids from widely different backgrounds…can thrive in an intellectual environment that is much more intellectually demanding than your typical high school.”
Bob Herbert Columnist, New York Times
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
April 2013 Newsletter
“Bard’s early colleges demonstrate how to increase quality and efficiency by breaking down funding and structural silos. Bard’s program is working – but its impact could be far greater if policy and funding incentives allowed it to be brought to scale nationwide.”

9. Bard Early Colleges produce a strong return on investment
Additional cost of early college
Savings to students
Savings to government
Approximately $1,500-$3,000 annually per student above the cost of public high school (for two years of college and an A.A.)
Up to approximately $27,200 for students at public colleges1
Up to approximately $72,600 for students at private colleges1
Thousands of dollars in savings from the faster time to degree, reduced remediation, and higher graduation rates.
Based on two years of reduced schooling. Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 2012.

10. Furthermore, Bard Early Colleges optimize public resources and reduce the cost of associate’s degrees
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 2012.

11. ADDITIONAL COSTS OF EARLY COLLEGES
The problem: no dedicated public funding for early colleges
ADDITIONAL COSTS OF EARLY COLLEGES
POLICY SOLUTIONS
Allow state and federal funding for higher education, such as Pell grants and tuition assistance, to go to early colleges.
Create dedicated funding for early colleges, drawing from new or existing secondary or postsecondary funding streams.
Because of the cost savings, efficiency, and improved outcomes, investing in early college is a policy solution with bipartisan appeal.
College professors
Student supports
Small classes
Textbooks, science equipment, library
Another cost: college liaison positions 11

12. The Bard Early Colleges aim to improve college preparation and success nationally by supporting the growth of early colleges
Create the policy conditions necessary for early colleges to grow and thrive
Develop a sustainable, excellent, scalable network of Bard Early Colleges
Help peer institutions establish early college programs
Catalyze systemic improvement in 9-12 teaching and learning
Improve college completion rates
Save money for students and taxpayers