2026 Early College Summit

Dual enrollment participation is growing, yet access and outcomes remain uneven, especially for students who can benefit most from a clear, supported pathway into college and careers. Early colleges offer a proven model for how strong partnerships, defined pathways, and integrated supports can drive student success. Using North Carolina's Career and College Promise (CCP) program as context, this panel will explore how school and district leaders can apply these lessons to build a coordinated, strategic portfolio of dual enrollment options where early colleges and other models work together to expand opportunity and improve outcomes for all students.

Early college leaders are inundated with expectations—state standards, district initiatives, evaluation tools, PLC structures, and professional development mandates. How do we bring clarity to the complexity? This session equips principals and system leaders to design a coherent instructional framework that aligns Essential Practices, professional learning, PLC processes, NCEES, and school/district expectations into one clear, usable document. Participants will leave with a plan to crosswalk key resources with expectations and evaluation criteria, drive targeted professional development, and deploy a framework that sustains continuous improvement.  

Interdisciplinary Days at Craven Early College offer a powerful model for Future‑Ready learning by immersing students in themed, cross‑curricular experiences that mirror real‑world problem solving. In this showcase, participants will explore how grade‑level teams design cohesive, standards‑aligned learning days—such as Journey to the New World, Viva La Revolution, Zombie Apocalypse, and CSI Owl Country—that integrate math, science, English, and social studies into authentic, hands‑on challenges. These experiences boost engagement, strengthen collaboration, and help students apply academic concepts in meaningful contexts, echoing the Next Generation Early College emphasis on innovative instruction, student voice, and active collaboration.

Attendees will see sample student products, hear about planning structures, watch video reflections from student participants, and learn how interdisciplinary days foster deep learning, SEL connections, and future‑focused skills. The session will highlight how this model strengthens teacher collaboration, supports diverse learners, and builds a unified school culture. Participants will leave with replicable frameworks and inspiration to design their own interdisciplinary learning experiences.

Early College opens doors for students long pushed to the margins, but access alone doesn’t guarantee belonging or success. In this collaborative workshop, participants examine how advising, mentoring, family communication, academic monitoring, and behind-the-scenes coordination can either reproduce inequities or interrupt them. Using examples across different Early College sites, we focus on identifying where programs “shake,” the pressure points where hidden expectations hit hardest, and followthrough depends too much on one person. Participants leave with a practical toolkit: a Support Check, a Student Supports Map, and an Action Plan to strengthen shared structures and consistent support across contexts.

Early College programs often focus on structures and outcomes—but less often center the voices of students who experience them. This panel elevates student perspectives from the Dearborn Early College Kickoff (DECK), a middle school–launched pathway that prepares students for full-time Early College enrollment. Students from DECK’s first cohort, now earning college credit in high school, will share how early academic acceleration, clear expectations, family engagement, and a paid learn-and-earn model shaped their readiness, confidence, and success. The session pairs student voice with outcome data to illustrate the impact of starting Early College preparation earlier.