Many students are used to writing narratives — stories, description, even poetry, but have little experience with analytical writing. This article is an introduction to six analytical text structures, useful across content areas. See also Analytical Writing in the Content Areas.
Most college access programs provide activities
such as financial counseling, last dollar scholarships, college visits, career guidance, tutoring, academic counseling, and test preparation courses. These comprehensive college access programs are increasingly viewed as critical partners in the effort to encourage more young people to pursue post-secondary education.
Dual enrollment (DE) allows high school students, including dropouts in some cases, to enroll in postsecondary education courses to earn college credit prior to high school graduation. DE is the most widely used acceleration mechanism and appears in a variety of well-known forms, such as dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment, and Advanced Placement.
Middle and early college high schools are typically located on community college campuses, which allow students to begin working toward an associate’s degree while they complete the necessary coursework for a high school diploma, and they often, include a 13th year to allow students to complete their associate’s degree. Both middle and early college high schools primarily serve underachieving students who are better served in a nontraditional high school setting. Many of these schools also focus on preparing students for the workplace and encourage students to use their postsecondary classes to gain a technical expertise.
The programs discussed here blend secondary and postsecondary programs for disadvantaged youth. This blending is an effective strategy that the authors believe should be more widely considered. Many of the components that make these programs successful with a disadvantaged student population are based on core principles of youth development: caring adults who serve as teacher, guide, and role model; a network of peer support; a high quality curriculum; and a competency-based approach to learning.
Tech Prep is a planned sequence of study in a technical field that begins as early as 9th grade and extends through at least two years of postsecondary education or an apprenticeship program. Tech Prep programs culminate in students receiving a postsecondary credential, such as an associate’s degree or technical certificate, thus allowing them to continue their postsecondary education or to enter the workforce as a qualified technician.
This fictionalized account of the real Iqbal Masih is told through the voice of Fatima, a young Pakistani girl whose life is changed by Iqbal’s courage.
When young Iqbal is sold into slavery at a carpet factory, his arrival changes everything for the other overworked and abused children there. It is Iqbal who explains to them that despite their master’s promises, he plans on keeping them as his slaves indefinitely. But it is also Iqbal who inspires the other children to look to a future free from toil.
