RTI International launches National Early College Leaders Network

The network will facilitate professional learning and knowledge sharing among early college leaders

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — RTI International, an independent scientific research institute, today announced the launch of the national Early College Leaders Network (ECLN), a professional learning network for leaders who support, are new to, or are working to grow early college and related dual enrollment programs.

The network builds on eight years of work conducted by RTI in North Carolina, where RTI experts have facilitated the Early College Network (ECN), a peer learning community of schools that allow students in the state to earn high school and college credits concurrently in a college-going environment.

“The ECLN is filling a need for early college program leaders to learn together and share valuable expertise as they work to grow and strengthen early college programs across the country,” said Dr. De McKenzie, an education research manager at RTI and co-director for ECLN.

The ECLN is designed so that high school principals and program directors, district leaders, college partners and state-level leaders with interest in early college programs can benefit from activities focused on improving program design and implementation.

Through the network, members:

• Regularly connect with other early college leaders to share expertise and work through problems of practice
• Access shared resources for school design, student supports and high-quality instruction
• Engage in professional learning on topics essential to Early College success, such as program design, student and family recruitment, development of strong high school-college/university partnerships, supporting high school students in college courses and more

The first cohort of the ECLN members includes early college leaders from nine states: Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina and New York. They took part in RTI’s annual Early College Summit in June and will continue to meet virtually throughout the 2025-26 academic year.

Early college high schools are high school programs that use a dual enrollment model combining college with high school to increase college attainment for students. Two decades of research has established that early college high schools improve academic outcomes for students in high school and college.

Research led by the SERVE Center at UNC Greensboro found that compared to their peers in traditional high school settings, early college students are more likely to complete a postsecondary degree than students who attended traditional high schools.

For more information about ECLN, contact RTI senior manager Frank McKay (fmckay@rti.org).

Learn more about the National Early College Leaders Network (ECLN)

Learn more about RTI’s Center for Education Services