BHCC Awarded $140,000 Grant to Support Early College Programs
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) was among eight public colleges and 13 high schools that were awarded new early college designations giving high school students the opportunity to study college-level courses and obtain credits before graduating high school. On June 13, 2019, BHCC and Madison Park Technical Vocational High School’s Roxbury Massachusetts Advanced Post-Secondary Pathways Program (RoxMAPP) partnership was awarded a $140,000 grant to expand their early college program.
Governor Charlie Baker and Education Secretary James Peyser made the announcement at BHCC during an event recognizing the high schools and colleges that launched early college programs this school year. With the new designations, 35 high schools and 18 colleges will offer opportunities for students that are low-income, minority or potentially first-generation college students to take traditional high school classes with college courses at a local college/university. The goal of this program is to create a continuous path for these students to move from high school to college and careers.
“We believe early college has such an impact on student success,” Governor Baker said. “Our administration proposed making it part of a school district’s state aid calculations so that more districts can provide students with these opportunities.”
The RoxMAPP Early College High School partnership with BHCC has been engaged in curriculum alignment in math and English to develop greater connections between high school and college instructors and to assist greater numbers of students to be college ready in these key subject areas. A “Bridge to Success” curriculum was developed by the partners to provide college exploration and readiness that complements the robust vocational curriculum already offered to Madison Park students. Most early college students take up to two courses per semester at BHCC and select courses in business and marketing, health science, technology, general education and more.
“I’m so proud to see the students, teachers, staff and administrators of Madison Park being recognized for years of hard work and dedication,” said Nuri Chandler-Smith, Dean of Academic Support and College Pathway Programs at BHCC. “A hallmark of the RoxMAPP Early College High School partnership with BHCC is that it enables students to earn both an industry recognized credential and significant number of college credits by the time they graduate high school. Madison Park students have demonstrated that they are capable of excellence and deserve the best of our resources.”
“Early college leverages academics, advising and career literacy,” said BHCC President Pam Eddinger. “In this initiative all students, not just the top 1%, can excel when given the right support and the right environment. I believe this is the practice of equity in our college work, when we stop seeing our students as ‘at-risk’, but at-promise.”
In 2018, the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation awarded $2.4 million to BHCC to establish early college at BHCC. The funding covers a three-year project horizon and will allow BHCC to consolidate its early college efforts into a core model that anticipates growth in scale and performance. Through partnerships with area high schools and community-based organizations, nearly 500 students participate in BHCC’s early college program annually. For more information on BHCC’s early college programs visit bhcc.edu/hspartnerships/earlycollege.
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About Bunker Hill Community College
Celebrating 50 years of excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is Massachusetts' largest community college, annually welcoming a diverse community of around 16,000 students. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, BHCC extends its reach across several locations in Greater Boston. BHCC is celebrated for its diversity, boasting a student body where 65% identify as people of color and more than half are women. The College also embraces a global perspective, with over 600 international students representing 90 countries and conversing in more than 65 languages. Our commitment to diversity is further reflected in BHCC's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).