Interest rising in NC’s innovative high schools

By Joyce Loveless, NC New Schools

June 10, 2015

This spring, more than 80 school leaders convened in Raleigh to attend the first Cooperative Innovative High School (CIHS) Technical Assistance Workshop, a joint effort of the NC Department of Public Instruction (NC DPI), NC Community College System, UNC General Assembly and NC New Schools. Although North Carolina already boasts almost 100 cooperative innovative high schools, this was the first time the supporting state agencies walked through the application process with districts and their higher education partners.

Flexibility and alignment

Interest is high in designing these innovative schools. If all districts that submitted letters of intent actually submit a 2015 CIHS application, that number would represent a 300% increase over last year.

What is driving the interest? Flexibility and alignment.

Schools designed under the Cooperative Innovation legislation, GS 115C-238.50, have the flexibility of a charter school to design a student-centered school, while capitalizing on the shared vision and resources of the district and their higher education partners. Many of these Cooperative Innovative schools allow students to graduate with both a high school diploma and a two-year degree or career credential at no cost to their families.

Cooperative Innovative schools also encourage relationships and engagement with business and community partners to ensure relevance and work-based learning opportunities for students. These schools focus on serving first-generation college-going students, students academically at-risk and/or those who in need of acceleration.

“Cooperative Innovative schools are good for students and for North Carolina as incubators of innovative practice,” remarked Deputy State Superintendent Rebecca Garland.

Facilitating the process

The point of the meeting was to guide interested districts through the steps needed to bring these opportunities to their districts.

  • Prospective applicants walked through the application timeline and the state approval process with NC DPI Director for Advanced Learning, Sneha Shah Coltrane. “Cooperative Innovative schools provide students with college- and career-ready opportunities students might not otherwise have,” Shah Coltrane said.
  • I led participants in a visioning protocol to articulate the design of their school. We found that academic and social supports are the “secret sauce” of these innovative schools, and that they remove the road blocks to rigor.
  • Lisa Eads, program coordinator for Career and College Promise for the NC Community College System, emphasized the need for “intrusive advising” to support the student progression through the structured pathways for students to earn dual credit and graduate with a high school diploma and a two-year associate degree or a career credential from the NC Community College system.
  • Roger Sims, director of enrollment services and outreach with UNC General Administration, clarified the difference between a transfer student and “freshman with advanced standing” for those students who continue on to complete their four-year degree.

“Having the time for both the community college and the district team to brainstorm and learn about the application process at the same time was most valuable part of this meeting,” commented a district attendee. “I was reassured about the amount of support that will be available through the process. Thank you for the new approach!”

Attendees will receive ongoing support for their application in preparation for the September 1 deadline. We want to make sure that all districts have the information and resources they need to successfully pursue this opportunity for their students.

For any questions regarding Cooperative Innovative schools, contact me at jloveless@ncnewschools.org.

Joyce Loveless is the senior director of school services and early college high school director at NC New Schools.