Best Practices

One goal of the New England Futures project is to identify existing projects in New England, or around the United States, that represent innovative and proven models for education. We invite you to submit projects that you believe represent a best practice in the area of education to info@newenglandfutures.org.

College Enrollment Initiatives

Boston Higher Education Partnership

The BHEP is a collaborative effort on the part of the Boston Public Schools and the higher education community to promote quality teaching and learning for Boston students. The collective vision for the BHEP is to assure that Boston students graduate from high school academically prepared with adequate scholarship assistance to enroll and succeed in college. To accomplish this, the BHEP matches the strengths of area institutions of higher education with the needs of public school teachers and students. The BHEP is affiliated with TERI College Access, a non-profit organization committed to helping families and students plan and pay for college. Support comes from annual dues, funding from the Boston Public Schools, several local foundations and The Education Resources Institute (TERI).

Bridgeport Higher Education Alliance

The Bridgeport Higher Education Alliance was formed in April of 2004 when leaders of the Bridgeport Public Schools met with higher education administrators and urban education experts from around Connecticut. The goal of the alliance is to better prepare high school students in Bridgeport for advancing onto college by promoting collaboration between high schools and Connecticut’s colleges and universities. In November 2005, the Alliance published a report, “Bridgeport—Expect Great Things,” which sets forth a plan for achieving the Alliance’s goal. Read the report for more information about this alliance.

College Ready New England P-16 Alliance

The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) will lead a regional planning effort to increase college participation in New England. Called the ”College Ready New England P-16 Alliance,” the initiative aims to increase students’ readiness for postsecondary success and to improve college attendance and completion rates of underserved and underrepresented students. College Ready New England is a collaborative effort supported by the New England Regional Office of the College Board, The Education Resources Institute (TERI), the Rhode Island Higher Education Assistance Authority and the Vermont Student Assistance Corp. NEBHE was awarded a $128,000 planning grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation to launch the alliance.

High School Initiatives

Maine Learning Technology Initiative

The Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) is the largest educational technology project in the history of Maine and perhaps the world. Maine stands as the first state to embark upon a plan to eliminate the digital divide by providing a laptop to each and every 7th and 8th grade student and teacher.

Online Initiatives

Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium

The higher education members of the Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium are accredited by the State of Connecticut and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges-Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. This unique association of public and independent collegiate institutions, as well as non-profit organizations with an educational purpose, is creating an interactive distance learning community to meet the needs of higher education students of the next century. This community will use technology to enhance the quality of learning, increase access to higher education and share academic resources.

Massachusetts Colleges Online

Massachusetts Colleges Online (MCO) is a consortium of the 15 community colleges and 9 state colleges of Massachusetts. The institutions have joined to share their convenient and flexible online courses and programs with students throughout the state and beyond.

New Hampshire 'Granite State College'

Granite State College (formerly CLL) provides flexibility, value and state-wide accessibility to higher education throughout New Hampshire. Founded in 1972, and headquartered in Concord, the college is designed for adult learners who seek alternatives to traditional campus-based programs. For more than 30 years, the college has specialized in teaching adults of all ages. NEASC accredited, the college is part of the University System of New Hampshire and serves over 4,000 students each year.

The Ocean State Higher Education Economic and Administrative Network (OSHEAN)

The Ocean State Higher Education Economic Development and Administrative Network, OSHEAN Inc., (pronounced ocean) is a consortium of non-profit organizations that was formed to foster the development of a communications infrastructure for Rhode Island's research, educational, and public service community. The OSHEAN consortium is devoted to creating a stable, economical high-speed network for the use of its members and is committed to providing services that enhance the productive use of this network. OSHEAN is dedicated to achieving its vision of providing Rhode Island with the most capable communications network infrastructure for the support of research, education and public service of any state in the Union.

Southern New Hampshire University Online

SHNU is among the leading online-learning programs in New England. The program has more than 30 accredited online degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. It also have a special partnership with the Navy that brings degrees within reach of military personnel.

U Mass OnLine

The University of Massachusetts President and Board of Trustees created UMassOnline in 2001 to meet the online educational needs of people locally, nationally, and internationally by offering accredited educational programs via interactive, Internet-based learning systems.

Vermont Interactive Learning Network

The Vermont Interactive Learning Network (ILN) is a unique partnership among Verizon, the Vermont Department of Education, The Vermont Institutes (VI), and the public high schools of Vermont. The ILN is a state-of- the art video conferencing network that connects Vermont's high schools for course sharing, professional development, curriculum resources, technical assistance, professional meetings and special events.

Regional Collaborative Efforts

College for ME

The Maine Compact for Higher Education is a joint effort of the Maine Development Foundation and the Maine Community Foundation committed to raising educational attainment in Maine. The Compact is made up of education, government, community and business leaders and others who care about Maine's future. The Compact's ambitious goal is to make Maine residents among the best-educated in America by 2019.

Colleges of the Fenway

In 1996, the Colleges of the Fenway was established as a collaboration of six colleges: Emmanuel College, Massachusetts College of Art, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Simmons College, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Wheelock College. The impetus for collaborative efforts of the Colleges of the Fenway comes directly from the presidents of the institutions that meet frequently to develop overall strategy and develop policy guidelines for the program. Regular meetings of the chief financial officers, chief academic officers, and deans of students are held to address opportunities for joint initiatives.

Five Colleges Consortium

Five Colleges, Incorporated is a nonprofit educational consortium established in 1965 to promote the broad educational and cultural objectives of its member institutions, Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.