2026 Early College Summit

Educators and instructional leaders are invited to reflect on Innovation Early College's journey of cultivating faculty capacity to create a school-wide culture of student-inquiry. In this session, participants will develop a shared understanding of high-level inquiry as sustained investigation with increased student agency, examine how intentional development of a common language and exemplars builds teacher capacity, apply a practical observation tool to support inquiry-based instructional growth, and examine how inquiry-based instruction advances core Early College outcomes, including student agency, persistence, postsecondary readiness, and credit attainment.

Presentation Slide Deck

This session will present the results of a mixed methods experimental study that examined the impacts of the Early College High Schools in North Carolina on students’ success in college preparatory mathematics courses in the 9th through 11th grades, disaggregated for academically prepared and underprepared students. The results show that the Early Colleges have improved students’ course-taking and success for all students, but the impacts are larger for underprepared students. The analyses of classroom observations and interviews with mathematics teachers reveal that instruction in the ECHS displayed a mix of traditional approaches and rigorous student-centered instructional practices.

This session explores how intentional leadership can create a culture of collaboration, care, and college/career readiness at an Early College. Participants will examine strategies that strengthen connections among staff, students, and families while building meaningful bridges between high school and college partners. Emphasis will be placed on increasing access, exposure, and opportunity through a culture grounded in care, open communication, honest feedback, and encouragement. Attendees will reflect on practices that meet students and families where they are and elevate them toward success. Participants will leave with actionable strategies to foster inclusive, supportive systems that prepare all students for postsecondary pathways.

Dual enrollment and early college programs were created to expand access and opportunity — especially for students who have been historically underrepresented in advanced coursework and postsecondary pathways. However, national trends continue to reveal inequities in participation, with enrollment often concentrated among students who are already positioned for college success.

This collaborative workshop equips participants with a structured equity audit framework to examine enrollment, performance, and district-level data through an equity-centered lens. Teams will identify participation disparities and develop targeted, data-driven strategies to strengthen supports for underrepresented students, underserved communities, and school districts with historically low participation rates. Participants will leave with actionable tools, practical templates, and implementation strategies designed to increase equitable access and student success.

This session will share how Josephine Dobbs Clement ECHS has established and maintained a culture of excellence within its 20+ year history through the partnership of Durham Public Schools and North Carolina Central University.