ABSTRACT
Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) have long engaged in the work of providing educational opportunities for underrepresented minority student populations throughout the country. While MSIs offer these students pathways to earning degrees, these students are often academically underprepared to successfully tackle college level work when they arrive at their postsecondary institutions. This history of underpreparation often proves to be a significant barrier to completion as students are frequently forced to spend their first semesters in college completing remedial courses, some of which may not count towards graduation credit requirements (Long & Boatman, 2013; Bettinger & Long, 2009). In order to better serve their students and guide them towards completion, MSIs must tackle the issue of underpreparation. This chapter is designed to delve into one option MSIs can utilize to combat the issue of student underpreparation. We will focus on the use of K–12/College academic partnership programs, particularly early college high schools and summer bridge programs. We will use Texas as a case study in this investigation for a number of reasons. The state is home to a vast number of MSIs and has an established commitment to addressing issues of underpreparation. This commitment has been exhibited in a multitude of ways, including the establishment of a comprehensive education plan, emphasis on dual-enrollment opportunities, and a focus on increasing college enrollment and completion of underrepresented students.
