#earlycollege

[coolspaul20things-blog]

My view, what’s yours?

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[constantreflection]

Early College: A personal opinion about getting it right

February 2021

I have come to terms after years of denial that I may be a single voice with my opinions about Early College.  Early College is a program that places college courses from on high school campus for a fixed rate.  High school students benefit from this opportunity by potentially earning college credits and meeting high school graduation requirements simultaneously.  In Hawai‘i, most of these courses are offered through the University of Hawai‘i Community Colleges (UHCC) and some participating local “4-year” institutions.  High school students also have the opportunity of potentially earning an Associate’s Degree through the UHCCs while receiving their high school diploma – a pretty amazing concept, if done correctly.  The cost of this program to the participating high schools in Hawai‘i currently is $2000 per college credit, that is split between funds allocated by the State with the rest paid for by the participating high school.  High schools can make the decision to charge students a nominal fee or nothing at all, which is a benefit to families since the cost of attending college can be out of reach.  It is also a big deal especially since the State is trying to improve the job market by producing more qualified and college educated workforce.  

It sounds like an amazing opportunity for youth, and I don’t challenge that one bit.  I believe in pushing one’s limit because the results could change the landscape around confidence and personal success.  It can also impact families and communities in ways that change generation of learners.  

But I continue worry because there are important details that are overlooked.  

I see three major issues that are not addressed – understanding the salary structure of University of Hawai‘i (UH) faculty both full-time and lectures, the philosophical hiring practices of UH faculty and lectures, and the design and implementation of college degrees or certificates in the UHCC system.  

The cost of Early College to high schools is $2000 per credit so one 3-credit course will be $6000, this doesn’t include textbooks.  If the course is offered at the high schools, the cost also doesn’t cover mileage to and from the instructor’s UHCC campus and participating high school(s). 

The rationale for the cost, back when this was initially designed, was set when $6000 could cover a Step A lecturer and possibly an entry level full-time instructor under a classification called Rank 2.  However, salary schedules have increased in recent years.  

There are also no clear cut measures to assess the true dollar amount because full-time instructional faculty are not paid by the hour (UHPA Article IV, Faculty Professional Responsibilities and Workload).  The UHCC faculty are given teaching equivalencies (UHCC Policy 9.237) that assigns “27 semesters credits per academic year or equivalent” but the actual total credit workload is 30 semester credits.  This also may include projects outside the classrooms, or teaching equivalencies, through special assignments further complicating the breakdown of some kind of hourly wage.  In any case, I am going to make an attempt based on the documents available.

Let’s take the salary breakdown from the hire date of July, 2017.  Based on UHPA Article XXI, Salaries, a new hire would more than likely fall under a 9-month schedule at Rank 2, which come with an annual salary of $54,084.  If I were to divide that by 30 (referencing the 30 semester credit workload), I would come up with around $1,800 per credit, $5,400 for a 3-credit course.  If we were to hire a new lecturer, which are not permanent employees, the cost comes at $1632 per credit for Step A starting in Fall 2020, which comes out to $4,896 for a 3-credit course.  

If you look at those numbers and go back to the agreed Early College amount of $2000 per credit, the Community Colleges may break even with Rank 2 faculty or a Step A lecturer.  

Change is inevitable and March of 2020 presented the world with a life changing pandemic that required everyone to pivot quickly.  UH was not immune to this shift therefore requiring the entire UH System to refocus on balancing the budget.  One of the many adjustments that addressed the University’s shortfalls was placing a hiring freeze on lecturers therefore relying on permanent tenured or tenured track instructors to provide classroom instructions.  It is also important to note that the hiring freeze applied to vacant position, which means instructors are having to do more with less.  

Back to the salary structure. If the Community Colleges are short on new hires, or Rank 2 faculty, that means reaching into a larger pool of higher rank instructional faculty so let’s break that down.  A 9-month faculty salary at Rank 3 is $64,896 – divide that by 30 and you’ll get approximately $2,163 a credit ($6,489 for a 3-credit course); Rank 4 is $75,720 so that would be $2,524 a credit ($7,572 for a 3-credit course); and Rank 5 is $86,532 and that would be approximately $2,884 per credit ($8,652 for a 3-credit course).  Keep in mind, I am not including those with years of service and substantial raises.  It is quite possible to have Rank 5 faculty making approximately $100,000 a year so that would come out to about to approximately $3,333 per credit ($9,999 for a 3-credit course).  

There is also transportation cost.  As of January 2020, the mileage the Colleges are obligated to pay is $0.575 per mile.  One of Kapi‘olani Community College’s Early College partners is Radford High School, which is about a 24 mile round trip between school to school.  If a course is offered two days a week for 4 months, that would be approximately $441 per semester.  According to UHPA Article VIII.D under Faculty Travel “shall provide for reimbursement at the applicable federal mileage rate per mile traveled on business.”

Again, this is not to take away from the positive impact of Early College but are we executing Early College in a fiscally sound manner if what is coming in is less than what is being paid out?  

Through many conversations with my colleagues about Early College, I have come to a conclusion that the college experience does come at a cost.  If the goal of Early College is to provide a college experience then we really need to regroup and identify what is of high value and importance.  I also believe drastic changes sprout creativity but also open the potential of questionable practices.  As the budget continues to become tight, it appears colleges and high schools are exploring hiring alternatives such as hiring high school faculty to teach UHCC courses.  This leads to a lot of concerns I have especially during this pandemic.  First, prospective hires must meet the minimum qualification for hire in the UHCC System, which is to have a Master’s degree in the content area (to name a few).  Second, since they are full-time with their respective high schools, more than likely they would be hired as lecturers.  This creates Union concerns because if they are hired, the UHCC course has to be taught outside their primary teaching schedule – teachers can’t get double pay during their work hours.  Furthermore, the pandemic placed a freeze on all new hires so it is assumed this hiring practice maybe on hold as well.  

Even if we hired high school faculty to teach, are we neglecting our youth from a true college experience?  Or are we only interested in the credits and neglecting college experience in its entirety?  Think back to your own college experiences, it was more than just earning the credit.  In the classroom are experts in the content area with the personalities to match.  I remember instructors being both brilliant and quirky that contributed to my learning experience that I just loved.  This is not to say high school faculty have the potential of sharing those traits but let’s take a moment and visualize this scenario through the lens of a high school student.  Are they able to separate the person who at one point in the day was their high school teacher then later visualize them as their college professor?  Conversely, can the high school teacher flip that switch as well by following a different set of student learning outcomes and classroom management techniques as a college professor?  These are rhetorical questions but lends for a larger discussion.  

Studies have supported that a post-secondary certificate or degree (like an Associate’s or a Bachelor’s) has the strong likelihood of increasing student’s earning potential.  However, taking college courses for the sake of it being college courses, is very different with actually meeting degree requirements. Navigating through the degree completion process can be complicated and requires intimate knowledge of how it all works.  Degrees have course pre-requisites, and some may have more than others.  For instance, students interested in Nursing are required to take courses in Anatomy and Physiology whereas students interested in Automotive Technology are required to take a general Physics course.  If a student completes, let’s say, an Associate’s with a mix of courses that do not include pre-requisite courses for a particular degree of interest, that student will need to take those courses thus extending the time to degree completion.  Choosing the right courses also impacts financial aid because there are limits to what can be awarded.  We shouldn’t be selecting courses because they are available and convenient, we should be selecting courses because it is purposely aligned to a larger goal.  

Since navigating through the degree completion process is complicated, it further emphasizes the need to spend quality time and effort preparing students.  If we were to dive deep into student development theories in higher education, it focuses quite a bit on understanding one’s self.  It is through their interpersonal journey that students are able to define their values and beliefs that translate into meaningful next steps.  It is worth putting in the time to prepare because it makes the execution more effective.  It is not enough to introduce free college courses thinking that will change the trajectory of our youth.  It requires investment into the developmental process and offering tools that are aligned and purposeful.  

Finally, one of my major concerns that I can’t shake is the distribution of funds based on need at the high school level.  Throughout the years, as far as I can remember, Hawai‘i’s Department of Education is tight on resources.  I enjoy reading business magazines because their main focus is how companies succeed.  There are rich discussions around customer service, which leads into mindful and purposeful investment into their employees.  If I am looking at Early College at face value from a financial lens, couldn’t the monies earmarked for an outside organization or initiative (such as Early College) could be better used to support their employees?  If the concern is around college going rates of high school students, especially with underrepresented youth or youth from low-income households, wouldn’t it be wise to direct funds to those who have the most touch points with these students?  If you research anything around success, it comes down to addressing their basic needs and making sure their foundation is solid.  Does placing a student into a college course an effective move if their basic needs are not addressed and supported?  When I read through the reports around Early College, I understand the intent but there needs to be larger and more inclusive discussions at the high school level first.  

There are other options in addition to Early College if the goal is to provide a rich learning experience while preparing youth for college and/or the workforce.  Students can be exposed to high school courses with honors designation or Advanced Placement (AP) courses.  To me, this route is an investment into the teachers hired by the high schools.  There are non-credit certificates that bridge students to the workforce in a condensed, at times, hands on model.  This provides an option for youth who need to earn a wage at a younger age, whether it be to take care of themselves and/or their families.  There is the option of taking courses on a college campus.  This exposes students to a wealth of resources from the mere exposure to the dynamic demographics of a college campus to support resources such as tutoring and mental health support.  

When we think about success, I feel the discussions have to be more comprehensive.  Early College is locked into a definition and pay structure with minimal room for change when the target audience is constantly changing.  We all need to look at the core of why we have initiatives like Early College and navigate through the details so that efforts are clearly aligned with our student needs as the primary focus. 

[constantreflection]

Being Present or Chasing A Number

I think I may have reached a level of acceptance in my professional career.  I thought I could ignore it but what’s the point of denying my true self - a grouchy old man.  I have every reason to be one. 

I’ve been in my profession as an academic advisor (or counselor) for about 18 years with education and training ranging from counseling to education support.  I believe in being person-centered with developmental theories as the backdrop.  Recently I’ve been feeling my professional belief system is in complete conflict with the goals of my place of employment.  One of the goals include increase enrollment with our recent high school graduates but there is a lot of competition to consider since all higher education institutions share the same goals.  As I was navigating through the Hawai‘i census data, I found those graduating from high school in our county is somewhat flatlining meaning universities and colleges in our area, or probably even the entire state, are “marketing” their institutions to the same cluster of students.  My struggle is the System that my place employment falls under is doing a substantial amount of marketing (which I understand needs to happen) but unclear about the message.  Or, perhaps the message has good intentions (a college degree allows for greater earnings) but the level expectations of those on the front lines feels different.  It is less about meeting the needs of the students and more about increasing enrollment numbers.  I’m not exactly sure if those in high places realize there are people behind those “numbers”.  Anyway.

This is where I resist and is probably making enemies in high places as a result.  One initiative that is misguided and is being used to increase enrollment is “Early College”.  It is an opportunity for high school students to enroll in college courses that are located on their high school campus.  These courses are free to students at their respective campuses which strives to reduce the overall cost of higher education.  A worthy cause for sure but who exactly are we targeting and how are we preparing students for this opportunity?  I voiced my concerns through a local news outlet that resulted in a string of follow ups.  

https://www.hawaiibusiness.com/going-to-college-before-college/ https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/08/why-college-now-starts-in-high-school-for-so-many-hawaii-kids/ https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/08/there-is-clear-evidence-that-early-college-works/

I would like to think my voice was heard but nothing has changed, and if fact it got worse.....so maybe my voice wasn’t heard.  So I don’t know if people are not hearing me or maybe I’m misunderstanding the game of enrollment management.  Whatever the case might be, I still feel we are chasing numbers versus understanding our youth.  I don’t see meaningful conversation happening that allows deeper intrinsic values toward initiative like Early College - it feels more like I am checking items off a list.  Do students know why they are taking these courses?  Early College also undermines other opportunities that boost a student’s abilities and better yet, self-confidence.  What about student government?  What about internships?  What about study abroad over the summer?    

As with anything around navigation, you need to know where you are going.  That requires understanding the purpose of one’s journey and being equipped with the necessary tools to move forward.  Before taking that very first step however, it is best to be grounded and confident because it going to take a level of resiliency and persistence to be successful in this journey.  Maslow’s hierarchy of needs identifies some foundation needs, which is very important for anyone moving toward something that is new and unknown.  In working with youth and getting to know what tools they have in their personal toolkit provides an opportunity to create an appropriate road map.  Unfortunately, in the arena of higher education, enrollment means money and money leads to stability.  I understand that, but no one can seem to explain our roughly 50% year to year attrition rate.  Why are students leaving college without finishing?  I also feel these initiatives that place students in the middle of other people’s agenda disrupts the natural progression of our youth and puts them on a fixed timeline that is locked step to a pre-described end goal.  Students have varying life scripts yet we are expected to graduate mass amounts on a specific date and to have all them declare their life goals all at the same time?  That sounds counter to the term “development” yet I am asked to follow a script, a process, that best supports the System, not so much the student?

I suppose my resistance comes from a lack of communication and understanding of the process.  As an employee of an institution that has an open door admissions policy, I feel it is our priority to make sure resources are directed primarily to those who may not have had the upbringing and/or environment that involves looking at life from a larger scope.  Perhaps some of these students are continuously occupied by challenges beyond their control yet are forced to manage it regardless of what they want - they are survival mode.  It is our role to be present, to be person-centered, in order to effectively walk along side their journey to provide positive signages at the various crossroads on their life’s journey.  I was recently inspired by a colleague who directs a wonderful program in a low income community who said she “aims for depth rather than breadth“ when working with her target population.  Love it.  

Where I am going with this, I have no idea.  I just feel current initiatives to promote high education is heading into an unsustainable direction.  We need to focus on the strengths and interest of our youth and build of there.  It could be college courses among other initiative that promote critical thinking and learning what it means to be compassionate to yourself, family, and community.  I’ve attended conference where it was shared that we have NO idea what careers will look like in the future, as some are being created as we speak.  So with that said, who are we to determine a pathway without knowing what lies ahead let alone knowing the interests and needs of our youth?  If I had that kind of skill set, I would be elevating my profession right now with my added superpowers.  

[putnamcountycca-blog]

#Repost @studyabroadireland with @get_repost ・・・ We wish our fantastic group from Central Georgia Tech a safe trip home and thank you to all of the faculty, parents, participating High Schools and the terrific students for making this early college program to Ireland such a success. @centralgatech @putnamcountycca @dacbundoran @discoverbundoran #instituteofstudyabroadireland #studyabroadireland #globalscholarsireland #earlycollege #dualenrollment https://www.instagram.com/p/By5kNrwlFEy/?igshid=nzmn2zizjsja