Early College Principal: “The Only Constant Is Change”

[The following post is adapted from a speech delivered by Brandon Garland, principal of Johnston County Early College Academy, to the NC New Schools Board of Directors in May 2014. In the photo above, Garland is the one on the right; he's starting his own son on the college-ready path as early as possible.]

I cannot remember a moment in my life that I did not think that I was going to college.

One of my earliest memories was watching my mother receive her master’s degree from Campbell and being told, “This will be you some day.” I was four.

At age eight, my parents took me to visit Oxford University in England. I vividly remember my mother saying, “You will wear robes like that one day.” School was something I was expected to do and do well. I was supported and encouraged at every turn.

When I graduated from NC State University a decade later, I took my first job as a teacher in Selma, North Carolina. It was there that I began to realize just how different other children grew up.

Some of my students’ parents were incarcerated, some students did not know one or both of their biological parents, one child was arrested for prostitution, several became moms in middle school. Students were constantly being evicted, shuffled and discarded. The students who were lucky to have someone caring for them often could not get help at home with school work because their caregiver had not finished high school.

Just as my future was predictable, theirs was too — unless school could provide some intervention to change the trajectory. I was determined to figure out a way to spark that change. I worked at nights on a master’s in curriculum and a master’s of administration. I served for four years as an assistant principal at West Johnston High School — known for its big successful band, good academics, and a whopping 2,300 students – before I was offered the opportunity of a lifetime.

I was asked to lead Johnston County Early College Academy.

As the school’s new principal, I quickly learned that the vision and intent of the early college initiative was to identify underserved populations and first-generation college-going students and put them in a nurturing and success-oriented environment to achieve academic success and college degree attainment. I was impressed by the success stories from early colleges such as Bennett and the differences they were making in the lives of their students.

After looking at the data, I realized that Johnston County Early College Academy needed to broaden its population. While about 70 percent of our students were first-generation, many were also children of parents like mine.

As a school we reassessed our recruitment strategy and took our message to every 8th grade class in Johnston County to recruit our allotted 50 students for the incoming class. We included students in our recruitment efforts, shortened the application process, stopped interviewing parents and conducted student interviews at the middle schools during the day.

During the first year of the new recruitment strategy, we went from 120 applications to 330. In the second year, we received 630 applications, a number we met this year as well.

Our classes now are close to 50 percent minority — in a county where minorities only account for 20 percent of the high school population. Our freshman class is 90 percent first-generation college-going. I am also happy to report that last semester our JCC average GPA was a 3.29 while the college average was a 3.0. Our students’ high school GPAs are extremely high as well, and all of our students for the past two years have graduated eligible to enter a university as a junior within the NC system. Almost all have enrolled in a four-year university — a few are meeting religious commitments first.

Our early college success in Johnston County is not unique in North Carolina. Many of the early colleges are realizing similar results. So if this model works, what are we waiting for?

At the end of World War II — with the rise of submarine warfare and aircraft carriers with long range jet bombers — our battleships, the pride of the US Navy, became obsolete. These powerful vessels had roots to the old ironclads and the tall masts ships. Even so, the US Navy did not send an Admiral to retool the ship. They did not spend millions to add new weapons to them. They scrapped ships that had become obsolete overnight.

The American high school is a nostalgic icon. But its size, inflexibility and lack of personalization are making it difficult to compete with more nimble models. Like the battleship, its delivery system is becoming obsolete.

The Johnston County Early College Academy motto is, “The Only Constant Is Change.” The students will tell you that one of my slogans to them is, “Change or die.” I would argue that it is time to stop reforming high school – rather we must implement new models.

At a traditional high school, the principal must focus on activity buses, athletics, facility needs and repairs, the feeding and movement of 2,000 students, power consumption, how to get the grass cut….you name it.

At my school, I get to go to almost every class every day. I discuss teaching and learning everyday with all of my faculty. I know every student by name, and they all have my cell phone number and twitter handle. Instead of suspensions, I do interventions. I help kids with their resumes. I make sure college applications are done. We know when our students have relationship issues and parent issues as well as academic challenges, and we support them through all. Our teachers have time to develop curriculum and time to work as advisors to students.

While we are not the only solution, we know that our methods can work.

The United States economy has been unstable to say the least. Employers report they cannot find trained workers who can meet developing and changing demands. And many of our adolescents become disengaged before 6th grade.

Something is not working.

Public education should serve the needs of our society — individuals and businesses alike, as one cannot survive without the other. We need to champion our teachers and create environments where they can be successful, leading to improved student engagement and achievement. Schools should be small enough to be manageable and personable, to allow students to move at their own pace throughout a 12-month calendar. And we must invite our parents to join us in planning for their children’s success.

I am fortunate to work every day with 12 dedicated educators who believe in a unique vision that all children who walk through our doors will graduate from our high school with a diploma, a college acceptance and progression on to a 4-year college as a junior, and with a plan for their future.

Even though we have achieved many success stories, Johnston County Early College has a long way to go. Each year brings new challenges with a new batch of freshmen to guide. We are committed to the work.

But we need your help. NC New Schools is a leader in this movement and we need for you to continue to champion these programs. Convince those around you in power that the boldest move sometimes is the right one. Share our students’ stories and how their successes will support a stronger future for our country and state.