University of Maryland Partnership Provides a Unique Learning Community at Northwood High School


Early College High School Model Provides College Campus Experiences for High School Students, Professional Development for University Graduate Students and Opportunities for Faculty Collaboration


Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and the University of Maryland College Park (UM) are collaborating in a unique program at Northwood High School to open pathways to college. The Early College High School model provides opportunities for high school students to enroll in college-credit courses on the UM campus, use the university library for coursework, and participate in field trips to university cultural events and other campus activities.

The joint initiative is an outgrowth of a report issued by the Maryland Higher Education Commission. Data in the report indicate that many Maryland students don’t have the skills they need to succeed in college. The collaboration is designed to help ensure that Northwood’s students will be ready for college when they graduate.

Improving parent involvement and communication is considered critical to the success of the collaboration. The UM Office of Admissions and Financial Aid has worked with counselors at Northwood High School to provide information to students and their families on preparing for college admission. Because they receive information about financial aid and college entry requirements in the early years of high school, families who have had little or no experience with the college admission process find the program of particular benefit.

“We want to make sure that all MCPS students can envision college in their future,” said Dr. Jerry D. Weast, superintendent of schools. “This wonderful partnership provides experiences that will open their eyes to the possibilities and provide the support and guidance needed to reach their goals for education beyond high school.”

UM graduate students also benefit from the program through participation in internships at Northwood High School. The school’s classrooms are the setting for an intensive yearlong professional development program for students seeking a master’s degree in teaching. Ten graduate teacher candidates currently are each teaching three classes a day at the high school and are mentored by faculty at Northwood.

“We are delighted to be involved in this collaboration,” says UM Arts and Humanities Dean James Harris. “With President Dan Mote’s blessing, this is one of the outstanding outreach projects in which the campus and the College of Arts and Humanities are engaged.”

Northwood and UM faculty and students from both institutions cooperate on research and study projects. For example, the Wheaton Redevelopment Project involves students in gathering survey information about the Wheaton neighborhood. The project is supervised by a UM professor of urban studies and planning. Other opportunities for students include the Gilder Lehrman Lecture Series which brings students to UM to hear lectures on American history followed by discussion sessions, and the Great to L.E.A.R.N. program which aims to challenge 60 gifted, but underachieving, Northwood sophomores.

Dr. Adele Seeff, director of the Center for Renaissance and Baroque Studies at Maryland and director of outreach for the College of Arts and Humanities, leads a UM steering committee to oversee the collaboration and plan additional projects. “We want to infuse real-world learning into classroom activities at Northwood,” says Seeff.

“This seamless approach to education on the part of the high school and the university will go a long way to ensure that students are ready for college,” said Dr. Charles Haughey, president of the Board of Education. “The quality of the program is such that it could become a model for school system–university partnerships across the nation.”