Making Advanced Courses Equitable and Effective: Aligning Approaches, Philosophies, and Decision-Making Structures in Bellingham Public Schools

Abstract

This capstone outlines my strategic project on creating a coherent system for advanced course taking across Bellingham high schools. The Bellingham School District offers three dual-enrollment and dual-credit options for high school students: Advanced Placement, College in the High School, and Running Start. Each high school has their own structure, vision, and philosophy on how students enroll in those advanced classes. However, school board members, district officials, and high school principals realized this model was ineffective and sought a more coherent system. In order to create coherence and alignment for advanced course enrollment across different high schools, I first attempted to understand why each high school created their own system to begin with. From this research, three broad themes emerged: 1) not all stakeholders believed all students can learn at high levels; 2) disaggregated data of students accessing advanced classes were difficult to obtain; and 3) different leaders in high schools had different philosophies on how high school students succeed. These themes not only uncovered incoherence, but revealed mindsets and structures that hampered equitable access to advanced course enrollment. Therefore, the outcome of this project not only brings coherence to advanced classes, but also makes them more equitable and accessible for traditionally disadvantaged populations. This capstone describes the strategies and tactics as well as my successes and failures creating a coherent, equitable, and accessible system for advanced classes across Bellingham high schools. From this work, Advanced Placement test fees were fully subsidized for students receiving free and reduced priced lunch, College in the High School is in the process of being reformed with fewer partners, students who need extra support in Running Start will begin to receive it, and a wide-ranging conversation around the role of quantitative data has begun.