
Coming from a family in which no one has graduated from high school, Derrick Standifer could have easily become another victim of poverty.
But instead, he graduated last May with his high school diploma from Carver High School and 39 college credits from Georgia State University.
Standifer and 78 other students were able to rise above their challenging environments and achieve academic success thanks to the Early College Program at the New Schools of Carver, a partnership between Georgia State's College of Education and Atlanta Public Schools.
They were dubbed the "Legacy Class" because they were the first Early College seniors in the state of Georgia to graduate.
Even more impressive, all of the seniors were accepted into a two-year or four-year institution, and nearly half received scholarships to help with tuition.
Like Standifer, the majority of the Early College graduates became the first members of their families to head to college.
"Early College turned me into a hard working student," said Standifer, who was the class salutatorian. "It was really challenging - you either take on GSU or you quit. There was a lot of competition, but we made it. And I feel like I can do anything now."
Carver Early College High School was the first of its kind when it opened in 2005 and is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It was established to help improve graduation rates at Carver High School, which at 36 percent in 2004 were among the lowest in the nation. In the program, students take courses at Carver High School and on the Georgia State campus.
The Early College model is designed to increase the number of underrepresented students in post-secondary education by giving them a jump start on their college education. The Early College High School graduating class was 99 percent minority and 72 percent of students were on free or reduced lunch.
Even while taking college-level courses at GSU, Early College students outperformed their peers in traditional Atlanta high schools. For example, in 2008, the Early College junior class ranked first in the Atlanta Public School System on all sections of the state-mandated High School Graduation Test.
"We are excited about the success of these students," said Gwendolyn Benson, associate dean of Georgia State's College of Education and GSU liaison for the Early College program.
Students in the Early College program take courses found on most college freshmen schedules such as English 1102, college algebra and economics. But they learn more than what they read in books or hear in lectures.
They're taught study and time management skills that help them juggle classes, school activities, part-time jobs and other responsibilities. The Early College program also broadens students' experiences with international trips to places like Costa Rica and Japan.
For more information on the Early College High School Program, contact Gwendolyn Benson, associate dean for school and community partnerships in the College of Education, at
gbenson@gsu.edu.