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>> Betsy Sykes: Talking about these early colleges, Lieutenant Governor Dalton, how
do they really specifically prepare students for either additional education or work? What
are they doing differently, say, than a traditional high school experience?
>> Walter Dalton: Well again, when you enter the ninth grade, if you enter one of these
programs, your focus is on getting that technical degree or a two-year degree, an associate's
degree. We want to see a theme many are now. They may be in engineering, they may be in
hospitality and tourism, and they may be in engineering. The JOBS Commission is very much
focused on STEM, science, technology, engineering, and math. But these students come in, and
they differ from traditional high school in that they point toward that real-world experience.
You hear a lot about senior projects today. If you're a high school senior, pick out something
that will be relevant to your future and work on that. Well, this is even better than senior
project because you're looking at a two-year degree that's really going to further your
ability to get a 21st Century job. And I tell an example, and it perhaps is a bad one, but
I talk to an early college student. And the other thing is most of our early college students,
over 50% are first-generation college. Their parents did not go to college. But they find
this program very enticing. I say why did you come to the early college? And a good
kid making great grades said, you know, I wanted to be a roller coaster engineer. And
I said well really? And this particular early college had an engineering curriculum. Now,
the difference is traditional high school classes assigned will teach you algebra, physics,
geometry, science, history. But this early college, flashes a sign, we can make you an
engineer. Now, whether the student becomes an engineer or not, that's what got his attention.
That's what got the hook. They are still going to teach algebra, science, mathematics, history,
or English. But it's that connection to the real world, I think, that gets a lot of these
students interested in education and keeps them focused on getting that degree.