News Article

ESC to Explore Charter High School in Collier

Jun 23, 2010

Southwest Florida – June 22, 2010

Edison State College to explore Charter High School in conjunction with

Jackson Laboratory Research Park in Collier County

The Edison State College District Board of Trustees tonight unanimously approved the exploration of a collegiate charter high school in Collier County. 

The planned high school will be the third charter high school for Edison State College, each with the mission to provide an opportunity to earn college credits toward an associate degree while completing high school graduation requirements.

“The uniqueness of this opportunity is accentuated by the partnership with Jackson Laboratory,” said Dr. Jeffery Allbritten, Edison State College Collier Campus President.  “We envision the high school will be co-located at the research park to take advantage of the educational opportunities that will be available through direct collaboration with this outstanding biomedical research organization.”

Jackson Laboratory is a private biomedical research organization that is developing a large facility in a new research park in Collier County. 

“Their 81-year history of research and education on the leading edge of biomedical research will allow us to infuse this experience directly into our school’s curriculum,” said Allbritten.

The Collier Collegiate High School will be a small, welcoming charter high school with a curricular emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. 

• Enrollment will be capped at 400 students in grades 9 through 12.
• High school and college textbooks, college-credit classes, use of a personal laptop computer, and access to support services will be provided without cost to the students.
• Admitted students will demonstrate readiness to undertake challenging academic work and maturity to participate in a college environment.
• This innovative high school will emphasize Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), while, at the same time, providing a strong liberal arts foundation and developing the skills of critical thinking, reading, and writing.

The Program:

Freshman and sophomore students will enroll in a pre-collegiate program.  Qualifying juniors and seniors will enter collegiate level courses when they have met dual enrollment requirements.

• The pre-collegiate program will consist of challenging honors level classes taught by high school teachers who also will work with students on correcting academic deficiencies.
• The collegiate program will consist of courses taught at the college level by college professors. All students will be encouraged to achieve both a high school diploma and an associate degree.
• The rigorous, well-structured educational program, which will meet all Florida statutory requirements for both a high school diploma and an associate degree, will demand high standards for all students.
• All courses will be designed to align with the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.

The Edison State College will take the proposed charter to Collier County Public Schools for approval.  If approved the charter high school could open in August of 2012.

Edison State College is Southwest Florida’s largest, most established, most accessible and most affordable school of higher education serving more than 22,000 students in 5 counties with campuses in Lee, Collier and Charlotte, and a center serving Hendry/Glades.  Many classes are available online at www.edison.edu.   

For media inquiries contact, Catherine Bergerson, Director of Communications and Marketing, 239-489-9460 or mbergerson@edison.edu.

Last Updated: June 23, 2010