Press On!
As crisis looms, students offer hope - James Ragland
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Dallas Independent School District’s new Early College High School with Cedar Valley College, located in the Nolan Estes Plaza, 3434 South R. L. Thornton Freeway, will host a Commitment to College Ceremony at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 30.
During the ceremony, more than 100 students who currently attend the Early College High School with Cedar Valley will pledge to complete their high school diploma and college degree within six years.
The Early College High School program not only prepares students for college but immerses them in college-level classes and college culture. Graduates of the ECHS with Cedar Valley will leave high school with a diploma and either an associates degree or transfer hours toward the four-year university of their choosing.
"Early College provides a rigorous instructional program with high expectations and strong support that allows high school students to begin taking dual credit courses in the ninth grade," said Principal Gayle Smith. "This ultimately compresses the time and decreases the amount of money it takes to complete a college degree."
Superintendent of Schools Michael Hinojosa will address the students and their parents. Other officials participating in the program are Dallas ISD Board Trustee Carla Ranger, District 6; State Senator Royce West; Texas Commissioner of Education Robert Scott, and representatives from the Texas High School Project.
