2026 Early College Summit

Student performance rightfully consumes us, but as state tests have fallen away from certain subject areas (and the data that came with them), how do we measure and track growth?  What is a student's role in that processs?  I have done my best to investigate best practices and have started exploring ways to help students monitor their growth in the hopes of starting a cycle of empowerment and reflection. 

This session will present some of the latest research on the impact of early college on postsecondary performance and on employment and earnings. The audience will then be able to engage around several leverage points that research suggests will further improve outcomes: 1) serving students for whom early college makes a difference; 2) keeping students in the early college; 3) providing varying pathway options; and 4) supporting the social/emotional development of students. ​​​​

The power of any network lies in building strong connections among members. During this role-alike networking session, join peers and colleagues to connect around role-alike discussion of topics important to your work in the early college ecosystem through a facilitated networking conversation.

As early college and dual enrollment programs expand nationwide, states face a critical question: how do we scale access and outcomes without fragmenting efforts or pitting institutions against one another? This session explores how collaboration, rather than competition, serves as a foundational strategy for launching and sustaining effective statewide early college initiatives.

Grounded in research, policy analysis, and examining national leaders this session will examine how cross-sector collaboration among K–12 systems, community colleges, universities, and state agencies can strengthen pathways and produce measurable gains in postsecondary access and success. Participants will engage with data-informed practices and policy considerations that support cohesive systems, equitable student outcomes, and long-term sustainability.

During this collaborative workshop, participants will explore the systems of support across partner institutions, mapping their networks and intentionally structuring problem-solving teams that include college and high school partners.  Session leaders will bring their experiences as both a long-standing member of the early college team and a new early college principal, providing unique insight into what works along with opportunities to identify and overcome barriers to collaborative approaches for student success. Session attendees should bring a student support challenge they are currently facing to analyze with a small group. While we welcome individuals, please come with your team if possible.

How can we design learning experiences that move beyond compliance to true transformation? This session highlights a year-long Junior Seminar project aligned to NCDPI’s Portrait of a Graduate competencies. Participants will examine a scaffolded framework featuring planning, product creation, community outreach, reflection, and feedback cycles. Through interactive protocols and a mini project-sprint, attendees will actively design elements of their own capstone experience. Participants will leave with a customizable blueprint for implementing a Portrait of a Graduate aligned project that fosters communication, collaboration, critical thinking, growth mindset, and personal responsibility in early college students.How can we design learning experiences that move beyond compliance to true transformation? This session highlights a year-long Junior Seminar project aligned to NCDPI’s Portrait of a Graduate competencies. Participants will examine a scaffolded framework featuring planning, product creation, community outreach, reflection, and feedback cycles. Through interactive protocols and a mini project-sprint, attendees will actively design elements of their own capstone experience. Participants will leave with a customizable blueprint for implementing a Portrait of a Graduate aligned project that fosters communication, collaboration, critical thinking, growth mindset, and personal responsibility in early college students.