Under an Investing in Innovation (i3) grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education in 2012, JFF is implementing and expanding the Early College designs, an innovative model with a proven record of improving student outcomes and closing achievement gaps for high-need students, which will dramatically increase the number of students in the Rio Grande Valley and the Denver Metro regions who graduate from high school college- and career-ready. JFF partners with Educate Texas, a public-private initiative of the Communities Foundation of Texas, and three school districts in South Texas and Denver to transform selected high schools into early colleges, aimed at reaching 30,000 students across the districts. These early colleges challenge and inspire students by offering them the opportunity to complete significant college credit, and potentially an associate’s degree, while still in high school. In the ECEP districts, JFF provides strategic advising for central office leaders as well as professional development for school leaders and teachers on implementation of a rigorous academic program, including a coherent instructional framework aligned to college-ready standards and engaging instruction.
