P-TECH's NY Times Unmatched 8th Graders Show That With Experiential Learning Education Pathways From School To College To Career Works

From 1 school partner in 2011 to 206 in 2023 is an increase of 20,500% and though that increase is great to some, I know that we can do better across the United States of America. The above graphic I use often appeared in the May 6, 2011, New York Times edition. The graphic shows the eighth grade high school application process in the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE). Of 78,747 eighth graders, 8,239 or 10% were not matched to any of their 12 choices on their applications that were due December 3, 2010. The first students to attend Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) would come from the pool of 8,239 eighth graders not matched to any high school. At best, for the first cohort, P-TECH would be the 13th choice for students attending in September 2011. The 13th choice at best for students with no academic screening, no test for admissions and no college remediation in their college pathways. The New York State Business Council has a great webinar for those who are new to P-TECH and want to learn more. To access the webinar click the link. The high school applications due that December 3, 2010, and the New York State Assembly also had a hearing that December on closing the achievement gap.

The graphic above shows that for every 100 9th graders, 19 earn a 2-year degree in three years or a 4-year degree in six years. I want the layers pulled back on the 19 to find out how many are science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) and to go even further, how many are black males with STEM degrees. In short, a definition of success for me is to produce at least 19 P-TECH STEM college graduates in grades 12, 13, or 14 for each cohort. What would the return on investment be for 19 STEM degrees for every 100 9th graders within two years of 12th grade?

The above graphic disaggregates data for the 98 students at the end of June 2015 based on New York City's accountability for those that entered ninth grade in September 2011. Our scope and sequence includes high school and college courses and industry experiences grades 9-14. The skills-based paid summer internship the summer after 11th grade is a competitive process. Based on the above data, 61 of the 98 or 62% of the first cohort had a skills-based paid internship before the 7th semester of high school. Students who experienced college and had a grade point average above a 2.0 with the skills-based paid internship were more likely to earn the 2-year college degree within three years of the eighth semester of high school than peers whose grade point average was less than 2.0 and did not have a skills-based paid internship. How does this early start fare with national completion rates for students who pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees?

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCR) released High School Benchmarks on October 27, 2022. Within that data you can find college completion rates six years after high school graduation for the class of 2015 overall and for those who completed STEM degrees. The NSCR data disaggregates that data and P-TECH is a High-Poverty, Low-Income, High Minority, Urban model. P-TECH students with a grade point average of 2.0 or higher at the end of the eighth semester who also experienced a skills-based paid internships had higher percentages of STEM degree completion, in half the time, than data shown six years after high school graduation 2015.

Experiential learning coupled with a grade point average of 2.0 or higher seems to have a positive impact on students earning a 2-year college degree in STEM within 3 years of completing the 8th semester. On March 16, 2023, at the National Pathways Summit Call to Action, the students in attendance expressed the importance of more experiential learning for all students. I conclude with the highlight below that was shared on April 11, 2023, at the State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees meeting.