Rebekah Barr has over 9 years of experience in Education in both Tennessee and Boston. After teaching for 3 years, she joined the MA Department of Education to work on the Early College initiative. As of 2023, the program has grown in size and budget from 1,000 students and $2 million funding state wide, to over 6,000 students and $23 million in funds. Her work directly supports Governor Baker’s goal that by the end of the 2020s, half of all Massachusetts high schoolers will either be enrolled in vocational work/training or in the Early College program.

During this episode, we discuss:

• Rebekah’s career journey that led her to joining the MA Department of Education
• How the MA Early College Program is about to bring a drastic change to educational opportunities for underrepresented student populations in higher education
• A peek into some high schools and colleges that have partnered with the program
• Incredible statistics that show the success of the program thus far
• Similarities and differences of the Massachusetts Early College programs to other states’ programs

Listen to this episode to learn more about Rebekah and her career history.

Access the full transcript here.

Watch the episode on YouTube here.

Do you want to be a guest on Right Here in Mass? Fill out our contact form.