For secondary students who experience challenges in the traditional education system, alternative high schools are one avenue toward attainment. These public and private institutions have large diversity in form and function—from schools specializing in specific academic areas to schools that support students with non-traditional learning needs. They also support students who may thrive in traditional schools; students in jeopardy of not graduating because of high absentee rates, insufficient completed courses, and not enough high school credits.

The largest falloff for students on the educational attainment pathway is the transition from high school to college. Students attending alternative high schools are often the first in their families to go to college. Moreover, continuation high school students (among the seven types of alternative education schools) are more likely to leave school early without earning a high school diploma. For many of our alternative education students, just connecting to college poses a significant barrier – one which requires navigating a complex higher education system and confusing matriculation process, both of which often impede a student’s ability to begin college with a firm-footed first step. These initial barriers contribute to a student’s experience of aimlessness in college and an increased likelihood of stop-out and drop-out for our most underserved and under-resourced students. But, initial clarity around college courses, majors, and career choice ensures a greater likelihood of long-term retention and success. What’s more, stronger partnerships between secondary and postsecondary institutions have been shown to curtail this falloff and increase postsecondary attainment in part through aligning academic expectations with curriculum and support services.

In May 2017, the Skyline College Career Advancement Academy, Career Ladders Project, and Equal Measure hosted a Community of Practice (CoP), “Exploring and Expanding Alternative High School and Community College Partnerships.” The CoP convened educational practitioners and nonprofit organizations to identify promising practices that lead to increased enrollment and retention for alternative high school students in community colleges. We structured the day’s presentations and discussions around three focus areas: 1) Creating momentum/Enriched preparation, 2) Supporting Transitions/Postsecondary Bridging, and 3) Maintaining Momentum/ Completion supports.

Below, we share several highlights from the Community of Practice.

Aligning Curriculum Design

When beginning their postsecondary careers, most students face a plethora of anxieties. They can become further discouraged if they are assigned to remedial classes and perceive they are not taking “real” college courses. For this reason, and many others, ensuring that high school curriculum is aligned with college curriculum is an important step in reducing academic falloff. CoP attendees discussed the challenges of curriculum design. As one participant described, “One of the biggest [challenges] at our district is that community college and high school staff are not talking to each other. High schools might be teaching to test, rather than sharing what they both teach.” Improving the communication between secondary and postsecondary institutions through partnerships can align academic preparation with the readiness expectations of colleges. As part of improving educational persistence, participants recommended integrating soft skills such as self-motivation and communications skills into class instruction, along with hands-on activities and career exploration opportunities. For example, schools can partner with local employers to provide entry level positions to students or have community college faculty serve as additional resources to students for on- and off-campus internships. In addition, the use of multiple measures (in collaboration with local community colleges)— such as student self-assessment, transcripts, course equivalence, and alternative placement exams—ensures that students bypass unnecessary remediation, and are appropriately placed in their first college English and Math courses.

Providing College Introduction and Exploratory Courses

Supportive transitions into postsecondary education provide high quality college introduction courses that help demystify the college experience for students well before they set foot on campus. Students also explore a variety of majors, programs, and career choices prior to selecting their future college courses and enrolling. Before they graduate high school, students gain clarity of purpose, and have mapped an academic/career pathway for their first year of college. An example of this approach is a California dual enrollment partnership between Baden High School and Skyline College, which led to the creation of a six-week college introduction course. Participating students receive one unit of college credit, in addition to four units of high school credit. This partnership also offers supplemental workshops, field trips, and an evening financial aid and FAFSA workshop for students and their families. Another approach is to bring elements of college education into high schools. A second California collaboration between Cañada College and Sequoia Union High School is leading to the design of a new 400-student magnet high school that will have community college teachers on staff to provide support, guidance, and inspiration.

Building Student Supports

In addition to aligning curricula and providing college introduction courses, effective partnerships between community colleges and alternative high schools focus on student supports, and address challenges students may face on their path to degree completion. Addressing obstacles such as transportation, housing, high living expenses, financing education, and lack of information about college enrollment and financial aid processes helps students transition and persist through college. CoP attendees recommended that community colleges should visit high schools more than once per year to build trust with students, as well as hold events in the students’ communities to reduce transportation barriers. As participants noted, “We must always meet our students where they are, and not just where we believe they should be.” CoP attendees also cited housing as a larger and more common barrier; a life support which, if mitigated, could increase persistence.

A key element of student support is the ability of counselors to meet the needs of various student populations. By providing continuous support, counselors can develop positive relationships. When students have a person they can trust and pose questions to, they are more likely to seek out services and stay on track toward academic milestones. Incorporating acknowledgement or celebration of mid-path successes, and building in incremental opportunities for success, can motivate students and keep them focused on their longer-term goals.

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Using these approaches to alternative high school and community college partnerships can be an effective way to reduce academic falloff, especially during the transition from high school to college. Yet, there are always opportunities to learn more about designing these partnerships. At the end of the Community of Practice, participants acknowledged the need to address several additional questions as a way to continue the dialogue beyond the day-long gathering. These questions included:

• How can we collect and use data on students for program improvement?
• How can we design effective curricula to prepare students for college transitions?
• How can we continue the enthusiasm and momentum built during this CoP?
• How can we effectively work across organizations and college silos?