UMass Donahue Institute

From the report's executive summary:

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) was awarded a federal Race to the Top (RTTT) grant for the years 2010–2014. The college and career readiness components of the grant were designed to help students develop “knowledge and skills necessary for success in postsecondary education and economically viable career pathways.” The RTTT initiatives were intended to provide students with opportunities to participate in quality, upper-level high school coursework and new approaches to assist them with high school completion and transition to higher education and the workforce. These programs were part of a broader effort, as specified in the Delivery Plan of ESE's College and Career Readiness group, to increase the Massachusetts 5-year high school graduation rate from 84.7 percent in 2010 to 88.3 percent in 2014, and to increase the number of graduates who complete the MassCore program of study statewide from 68.9 percent in 2010 to 85.0 percent in 2014. The UMass Donahue Institute conducted an evaluation of three of the college and career readiness components of the Massachusetts RTTT efforts—the Pre-AP Teacher Training program, the STEMfocused Early College High Schools (ECHS), and the MassCore Policy and Implementation initiative. For each of these three programs, this report provides final evaluation findings for the 2010–14 grant period.