THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 2006

8:30 - 9:00 am

Welcome and Introductory Comments

Speakers:

David Longanecker, Executive Director, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
Dewayne Matthews, Senior Research Director, Lumina Foundation for Education
Marlene Seltzer, President and Chief Executive Officer, Jobs for the Future
Deborah Wilds, Senior Program Officer, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

9:00 - 10:15 am

Rainey presentation

Keynote: Setting the Stage

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, and two respondents will offer complementary perspectives—from practice, research, and policy—on accelerated learning. The session will examine the case for accelerated learning in high school and its central hypothesis: providing underrepresented students with opportunities to accelerate their learning through college-level work in high school is a promising strategy for improving their rates of postsecondary enrollment and completion. What do we know based on research and experience about the range of students served, impact, and cost? What is, and what should be, a state’s stance toward accelerated learning options? What are the prospects and arguments for using accelerated learning options as a strategy to promote educational attainment—particularly for underrepresented students? What could or should prevent this?

Speaker:

Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Respondents:

Betsy Brand, Director, American Youth Policy Forum

Representative David Rainey, State of Arkansas

10:30-11:45 am

Kearl presentation

Plenary: Broadening Access with Accelerated Learning

Accelerated learning options have traditionally been designed for well-prepared students who are getting a head start on college and thus, researchers believe, more apt to serve middle- and high-income students. However, some research suggests that low-income and academically underprepared students can also benefit from accelerated learning. Broadening access to these options with the proper support systems may be an important strategy for improving the postsecondary readiness and success of these populations. This session will present accelerated learning policies and programs that states are considering in order to expand access while ensuring academic quality, addressing common challenges and developing strategies to overcome them.

Moderator:

Richard Kazis, Senior Vice President, Jobs for the Future

Panelists:

Christine Kearl, Governor's Education Deputy, Office of the Governor, State of Utah

Christine Johnson, President, Community College of Denver

Delia Pompa, Vice President - Education Component, National Council of La Raza

Michael Riley, Superintendent, Bellevue School District, Washington

1:00 - 2:15 pm

Concurrent Sessions

State Policies to Promote Accelerated Learning Options Aligned with P-16 Goals (repeated at 2:30)

Accelerated learning options show promise to improve the transition from high school to and through college for a broad range of students. Some state leaders are exploring how to harness this to promote greater coordination between their secondary and postsecondary systems and build a less leaky P-16 education pipeline. Some policymakers are viewing and using accelerated learning options and policies to complement and inform other statewide P-16 initiatives, such as the alignment of curricula, standards, and assessment systems. In this session, learn about some of the strategies that policymakers are implementing to achieve their goals.

Facilitator:

Michael Collins, Program Director, Creating Successful Transitions for Youth, Jobs for the Future

Speakers:

Jan Kettlewell, Associate Vice Chancellor, P-16 Initiatives, Board of Regents of the University, System of Georgia

Patty Wade Snyder, President and Owner, Wade Development Company, Inc.

Adria Steinberg, Associate Vice President, Jobs for the Future

Financing Accelerated Learning: The State Perspective (repeated at 2:30)

Financial investments in accelerated learning programs come from a wide range of sources—states, students, school districts, postsecondary institutions, and private funders. Figuring out who is paying for what can be very difficult to track, yet this kind of information is critical to assessing program effectiveness and efficiency, meeting state goals for access and success for all students, and identifying program strengths and weaknesses. Experts in this session will share their recent research for JFF and WICHE on the financing of certain accelerated learning options.

Facilitator:

Cheryl Blanco, Senior Program Director, Policy Analysis and Research, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

Speakers:

John Myers, Vice President, Augenblick, Palaich & Associates, Inc.

Robert Palaich, Vice President, Augenblick, Palaich & Associates, Inc.

Creating Effective Accelerated Learning Policy: The Legislative and Gubernatorial Perspectives

States are increasingly adopting policies related to accelerated learning options as a way to achieve a variety of goals, including cost savings, increased academic rigor in high school, and improved student preparation for college. Hear first-hand from a state legislator and a governor’s education policy advisor about the challenges their states face and some potential solutions for overcoming the obstacles to creating effective state policy related to accelerated learning.

Facilitator:

Demarée K. Michelau, Project Coordinator, Policy Analysis and Research, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

Speakers:

Donna Cooper, Secretary of Planning and Policy, Office of Governor Edward Rendell, Pennsylvania

Senator Dave Nething, State of North Dakota

Doughterty presentation

Klopfenstein presentation

Asking the Right Questions about Accelerated Learning – and Building the Capacity to Answer Them

Despite rapid expansion and growth in the visibility of accelerated learning options at the national level and within many states, much remains unknown about their effects and cost effectiveness. In particular, the use of empirical data to understand accelerated mechanisms has lagged. Participants will identify important questions states ought to be asking about the performance of accelerated learning programs. They also will discuss the types of data and analyses needed to answer those questions.

Facilitator:

Brian T. Prescott, Research Associate, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

Speakers:

Chrys Dougherty, Director of Research, National Center for Educational Accountability

Kristin Klopfenstein, Associate Professor, Texas Christian University, University of Texas at Dallas Texas Schools Project

Policies and Practices to Recruit and Support Underserved, Underprepared Students in Accelerated Learning Options

Researchers believe dual enrollment policies have traditionally encouraged participation by students who are already likely to enroll in and complete a postsecondary program. However, many education models are emerging that are designed to use accelerated learning as a lever for increasing postsecondary attainment by underrepresented groups. Embedded in these models are special efforts to recruit, retain, and support underrepresented—often academically underprepared—students in college-level work. Innovators will describe these practices and speak to the policies that can promote them.

Facilitator:

Michael Webb, Associate Vice President, Creating Successful Transitions for Youth, Jobs for the Future

Speakers:

Ralph Cline, Deputy Regional Director, International Baccalaureate North America

Laurel Dukehart, Director of Gateway to College National Replication, Portland Community College

Jeff Thompson, Vice President, Learning Programs, Foundation for California Community Colleges

What Role can Postsecondary Institutions Play in Accelerating Learning for High School Students?

Postsecondary institutions have long partnered with K-12 systems, but in regard to accelerated learning, the postsecondary sector has been more a passive recipient of qualified high school students than an active player. This session explores the activist role postsecondary has begun to play in both better preparing and accelerating underrepresented students into college. It answers such questions as how such initiatives fit the postsecondary missions, the extent of the programs, how they are organized, what they cost, the demands made on higher education, and their results.

Facilitator:

Nancy Hoffman, Vice President, Youth Transitions; Director, Early College High School Initiative, Jobs for the Future

Speakers:

Fred Frelow, Director, Early College Initiative, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation

John Garvey, Associate Dean, Collaborative Programs, City University of New York

Using Distance Education to Serve Economically Disadvantaged Students in Rural and Frontier Areas

Studies from the College Board and the National Center for Education Statistics find that students in rural and frontier areas do not receive the same opportunities to participate in accelerated learning opportunities as students in more populated areas. Sometimes, there are too few students to justify offering a course; other times, there is too little funding to support the programs; or perhaps the school or district is unable to recruit qualified teachers. The challenges are significant and varied, yet some states have found ways to overcome them and serve economically disadvantaged students in rural and frontier areas through distance education.

Facilitator:

Lynn Cornett, Senior Vice President, Southern Regional Education Board

Speakers:

Myk Garn, Senior Advisor, Academic Affairs, Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education

Donna Vakili, Director, Idaho Digital Learning Academy

2:30 - 3:45 pm

Concurrent Sessions

State Policies to Promote Accelerated Learning Options Aligned with P-16 Goals (repeated from 1:00)

Financing Accelerated Learning: The State Perspective (repeated from 1:00)

Prescott presentation

Cochran presentation

Sellars presentation

Using Data to Understand Student Participation and Progression

Ideally, a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of accelerated learning options on postsecondary access and success would employ unit-record data that spans the K-12 and postsecondary education sectors, but such data resources are not common. This session will briefly report on findings from a new analysis of transcript data from Florida and from research on the College Now program at the City University of New York. Discussion will center on lessons learned in the process of pulling together and using these data and on how they can be useful in program and policy development.

Facilitator:

Brian T. Prescott, Research Associate, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

Speakers:

Stuart Cochran, Director of Research and Evaluation for Collaborative Programs, City University of New York

Jeff Sellers, Director, K-20 Education Data Warehouse, State of Florida, Department of Education

Accelerated Learning: Student Perspectives

Part of the appeal of accelerated learning options is that they can increase high school students’ academic motivation and preparation by actually allowing them to experience college early. Yet there is little empirical evidence, especially from the perspective of students, to support or refute this claim. Some recent studies have begun to fill this void. In this session, researchers will discuss findings from their studies on students’ experiences in accelerated learning options and how these may impact their social and academic development.

Facilitator:

Joel Vargas, Senior Project Manager, Creating Successful Transitions for Youth, Jobs for the Future

Speakers:

Steve Farkas, President, The FDR Group

Melinda Mechur Karp, Senior Research Associate, Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University

Model Accelerated Learning Programs

Accelerated learning programs are increasing in number across the nation. But will they become a fad to save money rather than a genuine innovation to improve the quality of learning outcomes? The programs described in this session attend to issues of quality, coherence, and cost effectiveness. They aim to set high goals for young people, and, in several cases, start from the premise that for young people with family and other responsibilities, a postsecondary setting is more conducive to student motivation than a traditional high school. This is a “how to” session for people interested in starting such an accelerated learning program.

Facilitator:

Erica McKnight, Project Manager, Creating Successful Transitions for Youth, Jobs for the Future

Speakers:

Mattie Adams-Robertson, Principal, Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy/Los Angeles Unified School District

Barbara Hilliard, International Baccalaureate Coordinator and International Baccalaureate English 12 Teacher, Jim Hill High School, Mississippi

Introducing Acceleration in Low-Performing Schools

Perhaps most contentious among the strategies to turn around low-performing schools is the notion that the school should offer an accelerated program instead of remediation. How can low-performing ninth graders catch up sufficiently to take AP or college courses? What changes are required in the culture of the school, in professional development, in helping young people and their families understand the demands of acceleration, and in creating buy in from an appropriate postsecondary partner? School principals will describe the steps they are taking to change student outcomes.

Facilitator:

Donna Rodrigues, Program Director, Creating Successful Transitions for Youth, Jobs for the Future

Speaker:

Chuck Ransom, Principal, Academy of International Studies at Woodburn, Oregon

Using Student Financial Aid Strategically in Accelerated Learning Programs

For low-income students, a formidable barrier to accelerated learning programs are the costs of the courses and associated examinations. Some states require that these costs be covered by school districts and through other sources to remove the financial barrier for economically disadvantaged students. In other cases, little is available for needy students, especially to pay for expenses for books, materials, transportation, and exams. What aid sources—i.e., federal, state, institutional, philanthropic, and others— can target needy students in accelerated learning programs?

Facilitator:

Ann Coles, Senior Vice President, College Access Service and Director, Pathways to College Network, The Education Resources Institute (TERI)

Speakers:

Ronald Henry, Provost, Georgia State University

Richard Rhoda, Executive Director, Tennessee Higher Education Commission

4:00 - 5:15 pm

Plenary: Identifying and Addressing Issues of Quality

Few issues associated with accelerated learning options evoke as much comment as quality. There are many dimensions to the quality conversation, including quality of the teaching staff, the curriculum, the assessment measures, the instructional materials, and the students. Maintaining high-quality educational experiences that will challenge high school students with college-level courses is a top priority for educators and policymakers alike. This session will be a candid discussion of concerns about quality, the challenges they present, and how to address them.

Moderator:

Nancy Hoffman, Vice President, Youth Transitions; Director, Early College High School Initiative, Jobs for the Future

Speakers:

Linda Campbell, Executive Director, Center for Native American Educational Advancement, Antioch University-Seattle

Robert (Tad) Perry, Executive Director, South Dakota Board of Regents

Martha Reichrath, Executive Director, Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, State of Georgia

FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 2006

8:30 - 9:45 am

Plenary: Financing Accelerated Learning Options

Funding for accelerated learning options flows from multiple sources—including philanthropic organizations, and local, state, and federal governments. In many cases, students and their parents also support part or all of the costs of these options; in other instances, their expenses are fully or partially covered by other resources. But little is known about how much money is invested in these programs, by whom, and for what. Little financial information is published, and there are few state-level cost/benefit analyses. This complexity of funding makes it difficult to determine if accelerated courses and programs are cost effective. Speakers in this session will share their perspectives on the thorny issues around the financing of accelerated learning.

Moderator:

David Longanecker, Executive Director, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

Speakers:

Anne McClellan, Founding Principal, Challenge Early College High School and Director, Texas Science Technology Engineering and Math Initiative (TSTEM)

John Myers, Vice President, Augenblick, Palaich & Associates, Inc.

MaryAnn Nelson, Assistant Commissioner of Academic Excellence, Minnesota Department of Education

10:15 - 11:15 am

Kuo presentation

Plenary: The Role of Philanthropy in Accelerated Learning

While states and institutions take credit for increasing the participation and success of underrepresented groups in postsecondary education, much of the impetus for these achievements has come from philanthropy. Over many decades, private foundations have helped shape conversations and the actions around improving opportunity and widening participation in higher education. This forum has focused on the potential for greater success in serving low-income students and underserved racial/ethnic minorities. Representatives of major foundations will provide their perspectives on the role that philanthropic organizations can play in this effort.

Moderator:

Cheryl Blanco, Senior Program Director, Policy Analysis and Research, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

Speakers:

Paul Goren, Vice President, The Spencer Foundation

Victor Kuo, Evaluation Officer, US Programs, Education, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Dewayne Matthews, Senior Research Director, Lumina Foundation for Education

11:15 - 11:45 am

Closing

Moderators:

Nancy Hoffman, Vice President, Youth Transitions; Director, Early College High School Initiative, Jobs for the Future

David Longanecker, Executive Director, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education