DAYTON EARLY COLLEGE ACADEMY

Making College a Reality for All Young People

On the third floor of a building that was once home to a cash register company in Dayton, Ohio, 166 students and their teachers are redefining the American high school. The Dayton Early College Academy, known by students and teachers as "DECA," is a bold new model of high school that is blurring the line between high school and college in an effort to raise graduation rates and give all students the high-quality education today's economy demands. One of nearly 50 early college high schools around the nation, DECA provides rigorous coursework in a personalized setting and allows students to earn two years of college credit while still in high school.

The innovative formula is working for 16-year-old DECA student Joshua Hawes. When he thinks about his former school—a large, impersonal middle school—Joshua remembers classes of 36 students and teachers who had no time to give him attention or extra help.

“I thought I wasn't smart enough to go to college,” he recalls “I didn't think I'd be able to go.”

That's not the case anymore. Joshua, who serves in DECA's student government, has already picked out a handful of top choices for college and talks of going to law school to become a U.S. Senator. He says the family-style setting and constant encouragement have given him the opportunity to dream.

When it opened in the mostly vacant office building in 2003, DECA was one of the first schools in an early college high school network supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other foundations. The school boasts an attendance rate of 97 percent and significantly higher scores on state exams than other Dayton Public Schools.

These early college high schools share the traits of all good schools including academic rigor, personalization, and a common focus. And they are designed to address an emerging reality: The skills needed to earn a family wage and those required to attend college are becoming essentially the same.

“For two generations, affluent students have increasingly had access to college credit opportunities in high school, both advanced placement courses and dual enrollment opportunities,” said Tom Vander Ark, executive director of education at the foundation. “This initiative seeks to provide that same benefit to low-income and minority students in a highly supportive environment.”