The Issue
While the United States is home to some of the world’s most renowned institutions of higher education, many of its public high schools—often just neighborhoods away—have failed to adequately motivate students and prepare them for college. In addition, while college education is increasingly correlated with greater employment opportunities and earnings, and lack of college preparation and completion grows more expensive for taxpayers, the costs of higher education have become prohibitive for many students.
Bard's Vision
In an effort to address these severe national problems, Bard College has pioneered efforts to extend the academic resources of liberal arts colleges into public high schools through the creation of early colleges. In four years, Bard Early College students earn up to two years of college credit and an associate of arts degree as well as a high school diploma, tuition free. The first Bard High School Early College opened in New York City in 2001; since that time, Bard’s network of early colleges has grown to four campuses, which have seen remarkable results in some of the country’s most challenging school districts.
The Initiative's Mission
Bard's national early college initiative: Campaign for the Liberal Arts in High School is premised on the belief that intellectually curious high school students, regardless of background, are ready and eager to do serious college work while in high school, and that a liberal arts college education can effectively engage students and help them excel. The campaign aims to increase access to transformative opportunities in the liberal arts for students in high-needs public school districts nationwide. The campaign works to promote and expand Bard’s early college model and to advocate for policies that support early colleges and other secondary-postsecondary partnerships.
Core Principles
- Bridge the gap between secondary and postsecondary education and improve academic outcomes at both levels by engaging students with a college curriculum during the last two years of high school and having college faculty teach the high school and college courses.
- Increase college access and success, particularly among underrepresented students, by enrolling diverse groups of students, including first generation college-goers and minority and low-income youth, in early college programs.
- Make higher education more affordable by helping students accelerate their education in early colleges and thereby reduce the cost of associate’s and bachelor’s degree attainment.
- Leverage the resources of liberal arts colleges and universities to provide an excellent education in public secondary schools that maintains the academic standards of the higher education institution.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the different Bard Early College models?
The Bard High School Early Colleges (BHSECs) in New York City and Newark are partnerships between school districts and Bard College that embed a college education in the liberal arts and sciences within public high school, allowing students to earn up to 60 college credits and an associate’s degree from Bard, concurrently with a high school diploma.
The BHSECs have an integrated academic program in the liberal arts and sciences in which college faculty (the majority of whom have PhDs in their fields) teach high school and college courses all in one building. In 9th and 10th grades, students take an accelerated, college preparatory high school program; after that, students move into the two-year college program, which includes core classes in the humanities, mathematics, and sciences, as well as a range of college electives.
The Bard Early College in New Orleans is a two-year program embedded within the public school system. Participating students from across the city take college seminar courses in the liberal arts and sciences for half of each school day in the 11th and 12th grades at the Bard Early College campus. Students complete up to a year of college credits in the early college program, concurrently with a high school diploma at their high schools.
- Is tuition charged in Bard's early college programs?
No. Bard's early colleges are free for students.
- Who are Bard's early college students, and how are they selected?
Bard’s early college programs are good fits for students who are intellectually curious and motivated to undertake the rigors of a liberal arts college education while in high school. The model has worked in New York, Newark, and New Orleans for students from diverse socio-economic, racial/ethnic, and academic backgrounds.
All Bard Early College students are selected through an interview process, designed to ensure that applicants understand the program and are motivated to participate. Given the high demand for seats, the Bard High School Early Colleges select students through a qualitative and quantitative admissions process that incorporates an individual interview, a math and writing assessment, middle school grades, and middle school attendance. In New Orleans, students are selected through an individual interview and a classroom audition.
- Who are the faculty in Bard's early colleges?
Faculty in Bard's early colleges come from top colleges and universities across the country. Approximately 70% have PhDs in their fields of study, and many are published scholars. The faculty share deep knowledge and passion for their subjects as well as an interest in teaching younger students.
- What are the additional costs of Bard's early colleges?
The additional costs of providing a college program in high school include professor salaries, college textbooks for students, science equipment, college advising services, and academic supports. In order to provide writing and laboratory intensive classes that are truly the equivalent of those offered by liberal arts colleges, Bard's early college classes have no more than 25 students. The small class sizes help younger students succeed in the college classes, as do the academic tutoring and college counseling supports.
- Are Bard's early colleges charter schools?
Bard's early colleges are not charter schools, although they share many characteristics with charter schools, including the public-private partnership and significant autonomy over hiring and curriculum. Bard is agnostic to school type as long as the fundamental characteristics of the model remain in place, and it is committed to creating schools that fit best within the local context.
- What student support services do Bard's early colleges offer?
Bard's early colleges provide students with supports to help them succeed in the early college program and beyond. In addition to small classes, which allow students to develop strong relationships with professors and receive individual attention, the early college high schools have writing and math centers where students can access academic support, and a college transfer office where students can get help preparing for college life and transferring to four-year colleges. Professors also hold office hours so students can seek out additional guidance.
- How many Bard High School Early College students complete an associate's degree during the program?
Over 85% of students in the Bard High School Early Colleges complete their associate’s degrees concurrently with their high school diplomas. The majority of remaining students who do not receive the associate's degree earn over 50 college credits.
- What do Bard' early college students do after graduation?
Over 95% of Bard High School Early College students matriculate in college after graduating from the early college program, and over 90% of matriculating students complete their bachelor's degrees. Students can tranfer their credits from the early college program to a four-year institution, reducing the time to degree completion. In recent classes, over a third of students have finished their bachelor's degrees within three years.
- How does instruction in Bard's early colleges align with Common Core State Standards?
Bard’s early colleges have long employed the teaching practices promoted by the Common Core. In humanities courses, students learn how to analyze and find meaning in increasingly complex texts, using evidence. Students learn to write strong arguments based on supported claims and sound reasoning, and how to conduct thorough research. Students also develop strong communication and public speaking skills through discussion-based classes and group projects. In mathematics and sciences courses, students learn how to create and test hypotheses, understand assumptions, and identify solutions. By the time they graduate, students have strong analytical, critical thinking, and writing skills that help them succeed in college and beyond. These skills are precisely the ones that Common Core standards aim to impart.
