"Rigor, Relevance and Relationships" aptly describes the participation of North Carolina's community colleges in the Learn and Earn initiative. On February 17, the State Board of Community College had the opportunity to learn more about the role community colleges will play in creating a new learning experience for North Carolina high school students and to take a major step in creating the new schools.

The State Board of Community College approved Cooperative Innovative High School Program designations requested by eight community colleges. These designations will lead to eight "Early College High Schools" that will be part of the Learn and Earn project.

Learn and Earn is a primary initiative of Governor Easley, who wants to see 100 new high schools across North Carolina by 2009. The first five opened in the fall of 2004 with the conversion of existing Middle College High Schools, and the implementation process for 10 more to open in 2005 also begins this spring.

Most of these new high schools will be located on community college campuses. They will offer the opportunity for graduates to leave after five years with not only a high school diploma, but with either a college transfer associate degree or two years of transferable college credit.

Ken Whitehurst, associate vice president for academic and student services for the NCCCS, gave the State Board an overview of the program. It is a major collaborative effort involving the State Board of Education, Department of Public Instruction, public schools,m public and private universities and their boards, the Office of the Governor and the General Assembly. Private business will also play a major role in this endeavor.

The primary goal of Learn and Earn is to increase preparedness for work and college, graduation rates and the number of high school graduates and to decrease dropouts, suspensions, achievement gaps and violence.

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