JFF is leading the development of STEM-focused early college programs in Bridgeport, Connecticut, as a partner in a federal Investing in Innovation (i3) grant to the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools and Teaching at Columbia University that is reaching 22,000 high school students in Bridgeport and several districts in Michigan. JFF’s work in the STEM Early College Expansion Partnership (SECEP) involves: providing technical assistance to implement new curriculum and instructional practices that bring STEM postsecondary courses into the high school classroom; creating professional development tracks and coaching opportunities that increase Early College teachers’ STEM content expertise and their abilities to communicate higher-level STEM knowledge to high school students; and forming partnerships between local colleges and school districts to engage STEM higher education faculty in the process of creating secondary courses that meet postsecondary accreditation standards. To support the new STEM early college high schools, JFF is also assisting with the establishment of a community of practice that facilitates virtual and in-person knowledge sharing within and across the school districts and has developed a dissemination strategy to share best practices, tools, and policy frameworks that support STEM early college high school expansion nationwide.
