IBM's P-TECH 2015 Graduates and Bachelor's Degrees From Career Pathways

“Education is the civil rights' issue of our generation -- the only sure path out of poverty, and the only way to achieve a more equal and just society.” The quotation was said by Arne Duncan who was former President Barack Obama's pick for U.S. Secretary of Education. Duncan spoke at Teachers College, Columbia University in 2009 and at the time, Susan Fuhrman, Teachers College President used the quotation as part of her introduction.

I am a graduate of Teachers College, Master of Arts English Education and I had the privilege of hosting U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) in October of 2012. Secretary Duncan returned a year later with President Obama on October 25, 2013. The Presidential visit catapulted P-TECH into another stratosphere. Current Teachers College President Thomas Bailey in 2005 for CCRC released What We Know About Community College Low Income and Minority Student Outcomes: Descriptive Statistics from National Surveys. Within this document he showed that 10% of all students who started at a community college persisted to earn a 4-year degree. In February 2024, new reports were shared by the Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Teachers College Columbia University. These reports provided the first look at state-by-state analysis of whether community college students enrolled in 2015 transferred to four-year institutions and earned bachelor's degrees. The 20 years between 1995 and 2015 there was a six percent increase in community college students persisting to earn a 4-year degree. The 2024 report cited 16% of all students who started at a community college persisted in earning a 4-year degree. Below I share the 4-year degree attainment for P-TECH students who graduated high school in 2015.

P-TECH was the 13th early college in the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) partnered with the City University of New York (CUNY) and was the second to open as a limited unscreened high school with a ninth-grade entry. The only barrier P-TECH students had to overcome to begin taking college courses were the English and Mathematics Regents (state assessments). If the students scored the college ready benchmark on English and a Mathematics Regents, they were allowed access to our college pathways that were focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in an associate applied science (AAS) degree. P-TECH is a grade 9-14 model, and the innovative approach is preparing students for success in both college and careers. We provide students with a unique blend of high school and college coursework, as well as real-world work experience through partnerships with industry leaders like our founding industry partner, IBM. By offering a structured pathway that integrates academics, workplace skills, and mentorship, P-TECH schools have been able to break down barriers and provide opportunities for traditionally underserved students to excel in high-demand fields such as technology, healthcare, and engineering. P-TECH which opened with the use of a school improvement grant (SIG) shows that we can transform education and create a more equitable pathway for students to achieve their dreams. The following seven states: Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Rhode Island, and Texas produced P-TECH college graduates during covid-19. Recently U.S. Secretary of Education and U.S. Representative Pat Ryan traveled to New York to uplift career pathway programs and community colleges. Participating in that conversation was the superintendent of Newburgh, Dr. Jackieyln Manning Campbell and a Newburgh student, Leiyla Barthe who completed the P-TECH/SUNY Orange 2-year degree in 12th grade. Newburgh Free Academy's P-TECH program is one of more than twenty who are celebrating 10-year anniversaries in 2024. We share the same industry partner with IBM.

By collaborating with educators, policymakers, and industry partners, we can work together to advocate for policies and investments that support programs like P-TECH and ensure that all students have access to high-quality, career-focused education opportunities. MDRC now has produced P-TECH 9-14 Pathways to Success from the seven P-TECHs in New York City Public Schools (NYCPS). The following results speak for themselves:

"By the end of the first year of postsecondary education, 2.6 percent of female and 1.8 percent of male P-TECH 9-14 students had earned degrees, compared with virtually no students from the comparison group, of either gender. These impacts for both genders are statistically significant".

"Male students who had the chance to attend P-TECH 9-14 schools were more likely to attain college degrees than male students assigned to other kinds of schools".

The MDRC research is very encouraging and the 2024 release from CCRC on community college students from 2015 is also encouraging. Below I share some data on our 2015 high school graduates. P-TECH Brooklyn is majority Black and majority Black male. The free 2-year degree STEM pathways provided a great on ramp for students to persist and complete a 4-year degree. The data shows that 50% of the students who earned the free 2-year degree persisted and earned a bachelor's degree. The skills from P-TECH transfer to industry and beyond a two-year degree. It is great that U.S. Secretary Cardona and U.S. Representative Paul Ryan came to New York to uplift career pathways and community college.

The day before the roundtable, U.S. Representative Paul Ryan visited Sadie's Books and Beverages in Middletown, New York.

Pictured with U.S. Representative Ryan are wife, Yaa-Yaa Whaley Williams and husband, Anthony Williams, Sr. Yaa-Yaa was the co-principal of P-TECH in Poughkeepsie and Anthony is currently the Newburgh Free Academy P-TECH principal. At the Juneteenth celebration, Yaa-Yaa was signing copies of the newly released, My Trip To The Bookseum. I hired both Yaa-Yaa and Anthony at P-TECH Brooklyn. Anthony was the guidance counselor for the students in the 2014-15 data. This Fall 2024 there will be at least 60 P-TECH career pathway programs partnered with industry community colleges across the state of New York. We covered tremendous ground in between U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan's October 2012 visit to P-TECH Brooklyn and the June 2024 U.S. Secretary Miguel Cardona's visit to New York to uplift career pathways and community colleges.