5 year High School = College Degree

While AP courses have been around for years, college and high school have been generally separate from one another. A recent story indicates this may be changing.

Wake County Public Schools, Wake Technical Community College and WakeMed Hospital in Raleigh, NC are jointly opening a new, hybrid high school and technical college: The Wake Early College of Health and Sciences. Watch the Video Here.

The new 5 year school will produce graduates meeting the following high school, college and workplace standards:

• High School diplomas
• Internships in Health Care
• Associate degrees in health care related vocations.

Because this is a public high school, students will get a free 2 year college degree and be one year ahead of their peers if they choose to enter college as juniors upon completing the program. If they do not continue on to college, they will have skills and experience in high demand careers that will probably offer starting salaries of at least $20/hour.

"Elizabeth Ogle, 14, of Knightdale, knew she wanted to enroll despite the school's lack of frills: no sports teams, no prom, no social clubs. She wants to be a pediatric nurse and said school comes first. "I can still go to games and dances with my friends," she said. "My future is more important.""

Hats off to the Raleigh Public Schools and their partners for finding a true win-win-win solution for educating our children, helping them fulfill their dreams and meeting the present and future needs of society.