The Early IT ecosystem: Re-envisioning dual credit, college access and affordability, and teachers as professionals

The Early Information Technology ecosystem (Early IT) developed at a large R1 university in the Midwest has created a direct linkage between K-12, higher education, and industry, eliminating barriers throughout the pipeline for students. The program was created within a unique policy window, with the shortage of IT talent in the workforce converging with both the call for computer science education at the K-12 level and for dual credit options to reduce the cost of higher education. The limited capacity of K-12 schools to meet these demands on their own resulted in a window of opportunity for disruptive policy innovation. This opportunity resulted in a program that is broadening participation in computing and meeting the call for a scalable and sustainable talent pipeline, but that also serves as evidence for the potential of transformational change across various education policy domains. We use early successes in the program to highlight potential futures in the areas of dual credit, college access and affordability, and teacher professionalism.