News Releases
Oct. 1, 2003
Antioch University Seattle Names Two New Schools to Bolster Native
American Education
Seattle — Antioch University Seattle recently selected the Suquamish
Tribe on Bainbridge Island and the Wellpinit School District on the
Spokane Indian Reservation as two new participants in the Early College
High School Initiative. This initiative is a nationwide effort to increase
the number of first-generation, low-income and minority students who
attain a bachelor's degree.
The schools will work with Antioch to redesign their curriculum to
better serve Native American students — students with the highest
dropout rates and the lowest college completion rates of any ethnic
group in the country. Only about half of Native American students graduate
from high school; of those, less than three percent will earn a bachelor's
degree.
Suquamish and Wellpinit join three other schools — Medicine Wheel
Academy in Spokane, Ferndale High School in Ferndale, and Tulalip Heritage
School in Marysville — that are planning their early college programs.
During the next two years, Antioch will identify, start up, pilot and
transition three additional sites to serve Native American students.
"Our early college high schools for Native American youth plan
to boost academic success through a multifaceted approach," explains
Linda Campbell, Ph.D., project director and core faculty member at Antioch
University Seattle. “Each school will feature a local, culturally
relevant curriculum, integrate high school diploma and associate of
arts degree requirements, promote family and community engagement, and
provide academic advising. In addition, the schools will provide these
services to students in their local communities, which should increase
their chance of success."
The schools are part of a five-year, $40 million initiative funded
by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation,
the Carnegie Corp. of New York and the Ford Foundation to create or
redesign 100 early college high schools for underserved and low-income
young people and neighborhoods. In these purposely small schools, students
have the opportunity to earn both a high school diploma and two years
of college credit toward a college degree.
"Nearly three-quarters of high school graduates begin some form
of further education, but more than half who enter college fail to complete
a degree; one-third never even make it to the second year," notes
project director Nancy Hoffman of Jobs for the Future, which coordinates
the early college initiative at the national level. “Established
through a partnership of colleges and high schools, early college high
schools will couple rigorous instruction with intensive support to prepare
students to take college courses once they are ready."
Antioch chose its sites based on a written grant application and site
visit. Each demonstrated strengths that suggest future success at implementing
early college programs, including:
- small school size and personalized student support
- academic programs that integrate local native culture
- extensive family and community outreach
- partnerships with tribal or community colleges
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation identified Antioch University
Seattle in March 2002 to participate in the Early College High School
Initiative. Antioch has successfully worked with tribal communities
in the state, especially in its graduate and undergraduate education
programs. In addition to offering reservation-based degree programs,
Antioch developed the state's first indigenous language endorsement.
Antioch University also has a 150-year history of working to increase
educational access for historically underserved populations.
Early college sites in Washington
are:
The Suquamish Tribe
Located on the Port Madison Indian Reservation on the Kitsap Peninsula,
the Suquamish Tribe plans to start a new tribal school to serve 200
students in grades 6 through 12. The new school will integrate education,
social and health services in an academically rigorous early college
design. It will partner with Olympic College in Bremerton in delivering
undergraduate college courses. The Suquamish tribe has made education
one of its top priorities.
Wellpinit School District
Located in Wellpinit in the heart of the Spokane Indian Reservation,
the Wellpinit School District will serve 200 students in grades 6 through
12. The school has an outstanding track record with native student high
school graduation rates. The early college will enable the school to
deliver college courses directly on site. Wellpinit selected Institute
for Extended Learning of the Community Colleges of Spokane and Gonzaga
University as its undergraduate college partners.
Medicine Wheel Academy
Located in urban Spokane, Medicine Wheel Academy is a public school
that will serve up to 200 students, representing more than 30 tribes
and bands. The academy’s college partner is Spokane Falls Community
College.
Ferndale High School
Located in Whatcom County near the Lummi Indian Reservation, this public
high school serves 1,500 students. The Ferndale early college high school
will serve approximately 300 students consisting of a combination of
economically disadvantaged, first-generation college students and Lummi
tribal members. The high school’s college partners are Bellingham
Technical College, Northwest Indian College and Whatcom Community College.
Tulalip Heritage School
Located on the Tulalip Indian Reservation overlooking Puget Sound in
Snohomish County, this public high school will serve up to 200 students,
consisting predominately of Tulalip tribal members. Tulalip’s
college partner is Everett Community College.
About Antioch University
Seattle
At Antioch University Seattle, adult learners find individualized, innovative
programs with a commitment to academic excellence, community service
and social justice. AUS is one of five campuses of Antioch University,
founded in 1852 in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
Primary responsibility for designing and operating the 100 early college
high schools across the nation rests with nine partner organizations,
coordinated by Jobs for the Future. In addition to Antioch University
Seattle, they are: Foundation for California Community Colleges, Knowledge
Works Foundation, Middle College National Consortium, National Council
of La Raza, Portland Community College, Utah Partnership Foundation,
Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, and SECME, Inc. For more
information about these partners and the Early College High School Initiative,
visit www.earlycolleges.org.
