A New Era of Partnerships: The Vertical Integration of American Education Systems
Educators have widely recognized that sharing resources with similar institutions can lead to cost savings and better services for students. Many colleges, for example, have formed agreements so that their libraries can freely exchange books and periodicals with each other. While the complexity of these arrangements varies, the ability to establish partnerships with similar institutions comes fairly naturally to administrators who are familiar with the concerns and policies of their peers.
In contrast, administrators and instructors who work at secondary schools and higher education institutions have traditionally considered their interests to be quite distinct - rarely seeking to consult with or form close relationships with each other. Recently, however, leaders of secondary schools and colleges have begun to realize the benefits that can be gained through what might be termed "vertical education partnerships." Cooperating in a manner more like the relationship between suppliers and manufacturers in business, secondary schools and colleges are benefiting by learning about each other’s directions and needs.
Despite the challenge of establishing relationships across disparate educational systems, it seems that many colleges and secondary schools are eager to form partnerships because of the benefits they see. Secondary schools hope their students will develop a deeper interest in attending college after learning about and visiting local colleges. Students who previously did not think that college could be an option for them would gain a better understanding of the post-secondary options that are available. Of primary interest to colleges, partnerships with secondary schools serve as a marketing tool that can help increase enrollments from the regional population. In addition, closer ties between professors and school teachers are being fostered to help align and strengthen the curriculums between the educational levels.
Hezel Associates has begun working with two projects aimed at establishing better partnerships between secondary schools and colleges. Part of the mission of both the Adirondack Excellent Schools Program (AESP) and Vermont Excellent Schools Program (VESP) is to link area colleges with local high schools and middle schools. With the philosophy that students and educators should strive to take "one more step," the programs’ organizing body, the Foundation for Excellent Schools, hopes to see students not only achieve more at the K-12 level but also to increase the percentage of students enrolling in higher education. As part of an effort to measure the outcomes, Hezel Associates is tracking the college-going and retention rates of the students who graduate from participating schools.
While all the outcomes are still not clear, the formation of vertical partnerships has caught the attention of leaders inside and outside of education. Part of President Bush’s proposed education plan is a provision to provide funds to states and local school districts to form partnerships with colleges. As more and more colleges and secondary schools develop partnerships, Hezel Associates will continue to monitor this trend toward a greater vertical integration of American education.