early college high school essay

What is an early college high school?

by: Christina Tynan-Wood | Updated: June 12, 2023

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On a balmy spring day, the students in a classroom at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington are listening intently to a lecture, some weighing in with answers and opinions. Most of these students are, as you’d expect, college students. But a handful are attending a small high school —  Isaac Bear Early College High School — that operates entirely on the university campus.

The early college students are required to check in at their high school building before heading to class. Beyond that, there’s little — certainly not their participation in class, preparedness for college, or GPA — to distinguish them from their college-age classmates. They can avail themselves of all the facilities of this quality university — labs, languages, professors, the student union, transportation, and the beautifully manicured Southern coastal campus — while most students their age are lining up in the high school cafeteria or riding a yellow school bus.

Motivation a must for early college high school

The handful of students listening to this lecture have worked hard to get here. They had to make the decision to attend an early college while still in middle school. Many early colleges accept only freshman applicants — no late transfers — which is why recruitment starts in middle school.

“The most important thing we look for in a potential student is motivation,” explains Isaac Bear Principal Philip Sutton. “Our students need to have that.” Making a decision this weighty while in the eighth grade may seem harsh, but it’s essential. During the first two years of early college high school, students dispense with all their high school requirements. At Isaac Bear , freshmen and sophomores take five honors-level classes per semester. But it will be worth it. They will graduate from high school with as much as two years of college credit, allowing them to transfer to a four-year college while other students their age are applying as freshman. Sound expensive? It’s not. This is a public high school.

An innovative approach towards a college degree

Early college high schools are an innovative way for high school students to earn both a high school degree and a two-year associate’s degree (or up to two years’ credit toward a bachelor’s degree) in the time it takes to go to high school – saving the student both time and money.

Unlike vocational schools , early college high schools are focused on getting students on a direct college path, as opposed to training them for an immediate career. As well, early colleges distinguish themselves from college preparatory schools , since students are actually taking college courses, not simply preparing themselves for college.

In general, these schools make possible college for young adults who otherwise have few opportunities to continue with higher education. In fact, early college high schools were created primarily for underprivileged students who are first-generation college goers, as well as English language learners or any other students traditionally underrepresented in higher education.

Making college accessible to those with the drive

Although many don’t realize it, most colleges are open to high school juniors and seniors who are excelling and interested in starting college earlly. But that opportunity has largely served the children of parents who have been to college themselves and know to guide their children in that direction — and who can afford the tuition. Early college high schools make that opportunity available to any student with the drive – who otherwise may not have had the means – to do the work, and it’s a fast-growing trend. There are currently 75,000 students in 28 states attending early college high schools.

No two early college high schools are alike. Most partner with a university, college, or community college to compress the time it takes to earn a college degree. Many early colleges get started with grants from organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation .

Note that there are variations on the early college high school model. For example, Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, MA, calls itself an “early college” and offers college-level courses to high school juniors and seniors. But Simon’s Rock is a private school and it’s not geared primarily to underprivileged kids, unlike most early college high schools, although financial aid is available. The Advanced Academy of Georgia is another example: its formalized dual-enrollment program offers eleventh and twelfth graders the opportunity to earn concurrent high school and college credit in a residential setting.

What you might find at an early college high school

• Hard work:  In an early college high school, four years of high school are compressed into two so all the flab is gone from students’ schedules. There is lots of homework, and the demands are high.
• Diversity:  According to The Early College High Schools Initiative , nearly 75 percent of students enrolled in early college high schools are African-American or Latino.
• Hard-working students:  None of these options are for the student who fears hard work, wants a traditional high school experience, or needs lots of direction. Early college high school students are expected to learn to manage their time, pull good grades, and keep up with college-age students.
• Lots of support:  Early college high schools tend to be small, about 300 students on average. Students receive tutoring, supervision, counseling, and guidance from a dedicated high-school staff. Early college high school students are more likely to be better prepared for college than the college freshman who did not receive this transitional guidance.
• The freedom of a college campus:  Though they have more support systems than their fellow college students, early college high school students — with some rules and exceptions — have the run of a college campus. Rules and restrictions vary school to school, but in many cases early college high school students are not allowed in dorms where college-aged students live. They may not be allowed in other areas of campus for the same security reasons.
• A smoother transition from high school to college:  Many early college high school graduates ( 42 percent, by one estimate ) continue on at their school’s partnering institution for college, which makes for an easier high school to college transition.
• Not your typical high school experience:  Though this varies school to school, most colleges do not allow high school students to participate in college sports programs. In some cases, early college high school students can participate in college clubs and organizations; they may also have their own clubs and use college sports facilities for exercise.

What supporters say

• Preparation for college:  The transition from high school to college is a challenge for many — especially those whose parents don’t know how to negotiate college. The early college high school helps ease this transition by providing support and assistance.
• Creates a college-bound mentality:  Spending every day in a college setting encourages kids to value college and to continue once they graduate from early college high school.
• Small size means kids don’t get lost:  In a huge traditional high school, teens can get pulled in a lot of directions — not all of them good. Here, the small size and teacher support mean kids are accountable for their work, goals, and actions.
• Good value:  Two years of college is expensive. So getting out of high school with two years of college credit means that a student can either graduate from college sooner or take more advanced classes in college. Either way, the student gets more out of the money spent on college.

What critics say

• Too young to make the decision:  Many early college high schools insist that teens start in their freshman year of high school. That means kids are making this choice just as they exit middle school. Some may be too young for that choice, which puts parents in the difficult position of either letting the opportunity go because kids aren’t ready to commit or forcing an unpopular decision.
• No high school experience:  For kids who want a prom, to play high school sports, or to enjoy a traditional high school experience, this is not the way to go. Students will likely not be allowed to participate in college-level sports. If there is a prom, it will be a smaller affair.
• Risk of early exposure to college life:  Some kids may be ready for the freedom of a college campus and to socialize with students a couple of years older. But some kids, or their parents, may not like the idea of exposing a young teen to a college atmosphere. The early college high schools offer a lot of supervision and support for this. But that might not be enough for some parents.
• Unclear whether early college high schools really lead to college success:  Overall, early college high school graduates have a high rate of college enrollment. In 2010-11, for example, 77 percent of early college high school graduates went on to some form of postsecondary education in the fall after graduation. Whether that success can be maintained over the long haul is a question, however. Only 33 percent of early college high school graduates earned two or more years of college credit in 2010-11, and that same year, only 24 percent of graduates at early college high schools earned an associate’s degree or a college certificate.

Is an early college high school right for my child?

Early college high schools require — more than any other single thing — motivation from students. If your child doesn’t have it, it’s probably not the right choice.

Early college high schools are focused on providing a guided track for students who are motivated to go to college or get on with their career, but who do not have the resources at home to help them do that. The gifted and bored student, with parents who went to college, should look at taking honors and AP classes, doing dual enrollment with a local college or university, applying for college early (perhaps to one of the colleges set up for early enrollment or at a college nearby) if their parents are willing to pay the tuition and provide transportation.

A final word of advice

Think twice before urging your child to attend an early college high school if he’s not completely on board. He’ll have to be prepared for a lot of hard work — and to forgo high school sports and social activities. If he’s ambivalent, he may not have the motivation to succeed. If he’s sure he wants to attend an early college high school, get an early start: he’ll likely have to apply while still in middle school. Many early college high schools do not accept transfers after freshman year. Finally, be sure to visit the early college high school your student is considering. Each school is different and reflects the college or university with which it partners.

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Early College High School Pathway (ECHS)

Get a head start on your college education Quincy’s Early College High School (ECHS) Pathway is a cohort-based program that provides eligible QPS students in grades 10, 11, and 12, the opportunity to earn up to 25 college credits while still in high school, at no cost to families. ECHS students receive robust academic support during their ECHS experience that will better position them to be successful in college and in their future careers. The program is made possible by the partnership between Quincy College, Quincy Public Schools, State Street Foundation, and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Upon acceptance into this program, students will be enrolled in the following ECHS courses at their respective high schools. Upon successful completion of each course, students will earn Quincy College credit at no charge to the student. In addition to the ECHS coursework, all ECHS students will participate in academic and non-academic support opportunities focused on post-secondary success. Most ECHS courses will be the length of one college semester to mirror a true college schedule.

ECHS students will be supported by an ECHS School Counselor, ECHS College Transition Coach and an Academic Coach during their time in the program. ECHS Pathway students may earn up to 25 college credits and may have the opportunity to earn additional college credits during the summer months (optional). Students enrolled in these courses will receive honors level credit.

Introduction to Early College High School (ECHS) Pathway – Gr. 9 – 2.5 credits                      (8492)

This introductory course welcomes Grade 9 students to the Early College High School Pathway. A college preparation course covering topics, but not limited to: Study Skills, Time Management, Organizational Skills, and Critical Thinking. Students will take this course in preparation for the rigorous coursework that comes with the ECHS Pathway. This is a semester-long course and will not count toward college credit. Prerequisite: recommendation from middle school counselor.

Introduction to Computers and Microsoft Office – College – Gr. 9 – 5 credits                         (5462)

This course provides an introduction to MS Office.  This course is designed to develop basic operational proficiency, while using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint). Students learn how to use word processing, spreadsheet, database, and presentation software. Topics include creating business letters, business memos, elementary spreadsheets, elementary database structures, and slide presentations. This course will be taken in Semester 2, 3 college credits. Prerequisite: Introduction to Early College High School Pathway

Introduction to Criminal Justice – College Gr. 10 – 5 Credit (3442)

This Early College High School Pathway course will examine the criminal justice system in America. Beginning with a study of the classifications of criminal behavior, students will trace the process of justice through the court system and end with an examination of our forms of punishment and retribution. This course is restricted to students participating in the Early College High School program. Students will receive three college credits in social science and five points toward high school graduation requirements by completing this course.

Music Across Cultures – College Gr. 10 – 5 Credit (6362)

This Early College High School Pathway course explores music across national boundaries in its cultural context.  At the same time, it enhances the students’ listening, critical, and analytical skills along with their aesthetic ability.  It is an excursion in non-western music with an emphasis on the cultures in which it flourished such as the selected music of China, Japan, India, Middle East, Latin America, Ethnic North America, Africa, and Eastern Europe. This course is restricted to students participating in the Early College High School program. Students will receive three college credits in the arts and five points toward high school graduation requirements by completing this course.

Introduction to Environmental Studies – College Gr. 11 – 5 Credit (2422)

This Early College High School Pathway course utilizes numerous case studies of current environmental health and safety issues. Topics include: Human/ecological exposure to pesticides and hazardous substances, acid rain, ozone depletion, global warming, renewable/non-renewable energy, and biodiversity. Students will gain environmental literacy by learning about the science behind these issues. Students will conduct hands-on experiments covering a broad range of topics including chemistry, biology, ecology, toxicology and earth science. This course is restricted to students participating in the Early College High School program. Students will receive four college credits in natural science and five points toward high school requirements for science by completing this course.

United States History II – College Gr. 11 – 5 Credit (3422)

This Early College High School Pathway course traces developments since the end of the Civil War to the present.  Selective emphasis will be placed on topics such as the Civil War and its aftermath, the Progressive Era, the Great Depression, World War II and its aftermath, civil rights and equal rights movements, the cultural crises of the 1960’s and 1970’s, and the ongoing political and social issues of our time.  This course is restricted to students participating in the Early College High School program. Students will receive three college credits in history and five credits toward high school requirements for social studies by completing this course.

English Composition I – College Gr. 12 – 5.0 Credit (0422)

The focus of this Early College High School Pathway course is learning how to structure and write various types of essays required at the college level. Thesis, evidence, organizational principles, and rhetorical strategies are some of the emphasized concepts. A critical essay based upon an assigned outside reading is required. The course also covers writing based on research and information literacy. Peer-group editing, conferencing and cooperative learning groups are examples of the activities in this course. This course is restricted to students participating in the Early College High School program.  Students will receive three college credits and five credits toward high school requirements for English by completing this course.

English Composition II – College Gr. 12 – 5.0 Credit (0425)

Modern, high-interest literature of various genres and modes will be presented in project-based theme units that incorporate writing, critical thinking skills, vocabulary, inquiry, grammar, and character study. An emphasis will be placed on developing and fostering an analytical approach to literature, focusing on comprehension, and improving critical thinking skills. In addition, students will analyze literature, developing and improving their abilities to examine and evaluate a text in relation to other texts, their own lives, and the world through both expository writing and multimedia presentations. Students will work with short stories, poetry, non-fiction, and film. This course is restricted to students participating in the Early College High School program. Students will receive three college credits and five credits toward high school requirements for English by completing this course.

Statistics – College Gr. 12 – 5.0 Credit (1422)

This Early College High School Pathway course introduces the student to the fundamental methods of mathematical statistics. Topics include frequency distributions, measures of central tendency, measures of dispersion probability, sampling distributions, problems with the normal and t-distributions, confidence intervals, and hypothesis testing. Students will be required to complete homework assignments using a web-based computer program. Students will participate in a series of full-day visitations to the Quincy College Campus. This course is restricted to students participating in the Early College High School program. Students will receive three college credits and five points toward high school requirements for Mathematics by completing this course. Prerequisite: Successful completion of Algebra 2.

The ECHS College Transition Coaches and Guidance Counselors look forward to assisting you throughout this process and to being a part of this exciting new chapter.

For more information regarding the ECHS Pathway at NQHS, please contact Dan Gould .

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For more information regarding the ECHS Pathway at QHS, please contact Eli Stewart .

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All full-time grade 10 or 11 students at Quincy High School and North Quincy High School in good standing can choose to enroll in Quincy’s ECHS Pathway.

Students are encouraged to complete the application form with assistance from a school counselor or an ECHS staff member.

Applications will be reviewed and students accepted into the program will receive an acceptance letter and a commitment form, which will need to be signed by the student and a parent/guardian and returned to an ECHS staff member.

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Click below to read through semester Newsletters to see what has been happening in our program.

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Early College High School Pathway Scholarship

ECHS Pathway students receive a one-year, full tuition scholarship to Quincy College

At a symposium celebrating the successful first year of the Early College High School (ECHS) Pathway program – an innovative partnership between Quincy College and Quincy Public Schools – President Dr. Richard DeCristofaro presented each of the 40 high school seniors currently enrolled in the program with a one-year, full-tuition scholarship to Quincy College.

ECHS, a first-of-its-kind program in this region, is designed for the city’s high school students who may not actively be considering college.  It serves about 150 Quincy High and North Quincy High School students in grades 10 through 12 who are first-generation, from low-income families, English language learners, and/or have disabilities.

Those enrolled in the program earn college credit by taking a sequence of college courses taught by Quincy Public Schools instructors as a way to provide students the opportunity to experience post-secondary education while still in high school.  ECHS Pathway courses are aligned with Quincy College courses, and the College faculty collaborates with the high school instructors to ensure that the courses are delivered as a college course would be.

Quincy Public School students celebrate at the Early College High School (ECHS) Pathway Symposium

“Any opportunity to expose our high school students to the benefits of a college education represents a win for our entire community,” said Dr. DeCristofaro. “Thanks to the generous support of the State Street Foundation, ECHS Pathway has brought Quincy College and Quincy Public Schools together to offer participating students a combination of academic and non-academic support, ongoing guidance, and college readiness techniques that are essential to their future success.  We look forward to welcoming many of this year’s ECHS Pathway seniors as first-year Quincy College students in the fall.”

State Street Foundation

Initial ECHS Pathway funding came in the form of a significant grant from the State Street Foundation, support which includes the cost of all student expenses as well as two new high school guidance counselors and two Quincy College “transition coaches” with responsibility for program implementation and oversight.

“The State Street Foundation is thrilled to provide the opportunity for so many students to see themselves as college-ready and college-bound,” said Joe McGrail, President of the State Street Foundation.  “We understand and value the incredible potential of the Early College High School Pathway and the opportunities that it provides to Quincy Public Schools’ students.”

Quincy High School College Transition Coach Eli Stewart shares a round moment with students.

Granite Telecommunications , HarborOne Bank , and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education have contributed additional financial support to the program.

“I am extremely proud of Quincy’s Early College High School Pathway program, which provides our high school students with the incredible opportunity to expand their academic horizons by earning up to 22 Quincy College credits before graduating high school,” said Kevin Mulvey, JD, Superintendent of Quincy Public Schools.  “Special thanks to Quincy College, a lead partner of the Quincy School-Community Partnership, for providing this educational opportunity.”

As part of the collaborative celebration symposium, held at the Boston Marriott Quincy, current ECHS Pathway students participated in a series of grade-specific breakout sessions featuring interactive discussions between students and professional staff; later, ECHS Pathway teachers attended their own separate breakout session focused on evaluating key elements of the program’s first year.

• Scholarships

We’re excited to offer current Grade 12 ECHS Pathway students full tuition scholarship for the 2024-2025 academic year at Quincy College. We have a support team to help you navigate the campus, academic programs, and answer any other questions you may have about beginning at Quincy College. Students planning to attend Quincy College in Fall 2024 are advised to contact their ECHS College Transition Coach at their respective high school to discuss this opportunity.

• This scholarship will cover the tuition, books, and fees (up to 24 credits maximum) for the 2024-2025 academic year at Quincy College.
• Other costs will be the responsibility of the student.
• All students must apply for Pell, SEOG, and Mass grants through the FAFSA process.
• Students must commit to completing their degree at Quincy College.
• This scholarship excludes selective programs (For example, Phlebotomy, Medical Lab Technology, Surgical Tech, Biotechnology, Physical Therapy Assistant, and Nursing).
• This scholarship applies to Quincy residents only.
• This scholarship applies to U.S. citizens and green cardholders only.

Interested? Contact:

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Eli Stewart | QHS Students [email protected]

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Articles & Advice > College Admission > Blog

5 Things to Know About Early College Programs

A high school junior enrolled in her school's early college program shares everything she's learned about the process of applying to a four-year college.

by Katelyn Landry CollegeXpress Student Writer

Last Updated: Mar 16, 2023

Originally Posted: May 22, 2017

I am a high school junior enrolled in my school’s early college program. This means I’m accumulating enough credit hours through my local community college in order to graduate with my high school diploma and an associate degree at the same time. (Not all early college programs result in an associate degree; programs vary on the amount of credits their students can earn.)

I must admit, it is a pretty sweet deal. However, now that the process of applying to a university is upon me, I have found that there are so many challenges and insecurities that come with being a part of an early college program. Will my credits transfer? Do I apply as a freshman or a transfer student? Being caught in between the worlds of high school and college is a challenge that I have grown all too familiar with, and it has greatly complicated my college search. But fear not, fellow early college students—I am going to share everything I have learned thus far in the hopes of easing some of your anxiety about the process of applying to a four-year college.

1: You'll still be considered a college freshman

Most college admission pages will specify that even if you are enrolled in dual-credit courses at a collegiate institution, you will not be considered a transfer student. Each school will accept a different amount of transfer credits from its freshmen. For example, New York University accepts up to 32 credit hours earned by freshman applicants. Although you will still be considered a first-year student, if you have certain basic courses out of the way, you may find your way into more advanced courses or able to graduate early.

2: All of your credits may not transfer

No matter how many credit hours you have accumulated, it is extremely unlikely they will all transfer for two main reasons. The first is that schools often have a limit to how many hours will transfer, as I previously stated. The second is the course you earned credit for may not apply to the major you wish to pursue or even be offered at the school. In the state of Texas, the Texas Common Core Numbering System offers a comprehensive search engine that allows you to compare courses offered at lower institutions, such as community colleges, to four-year universities. This makes it simple to see which of your courses will transfer where, depending on what school you want to go to. For other states who may not have a convenient search matrix like this, you will have to search through the courses offered at either school and see which ones they have in common, or confirm what credits will transfer with an admission counselor.

Related: Early College: Not Your Average High School Experience

3: You need transcripts from high school AND college

It is very important to obtain transcripts from both your high school and your affiliated college when applying to a university. You cannot simply rely on your high school transcript to list certain courses as dual-credit. Make sure your desired university knows you’re the real deal!

4: D’s will not transfer

It is a widespread myth that universities simply accept transfer credits no matter the grade. However, D’s and F’s will not transfer in the wide majority of cases, so keep those grades up! There are very rare cases where a D might transfer if your GPA meets minimum requirements of the school.

Related: 6 Tips for Dealing With a Bad Grade

5: You should apply anywhere you want to!

Despite the challenges you may face transferring your credits, I strongly encourage you to not let it hinder your college search . Even if your dream school won’t accept all of your credits, they will see that you were a very hardworking student who took on high school and college at the same time. Being in an early college high school program is certainly no easy task, so your efforts are valued no matter what. You should pursue the degree you want even if you’ve taken courses that don’t fit the school’s requirements or your course work for your desired major. At the end of the day, it is about education in its purest form!

Find more tips and advice on early college programs right here on CollegeXpress!

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About Katelyn Landry

Hi! I am a 17-year-old aspiring writer and will be attending the University of Texas at Austin in the fall to major in Journalism. CollegeXpress has helped me so much in my postsecondary planning, so I am very happy to be writing for students like me! I love music, blogging, and ridiculous amounts of ramen noodles. I hope to move to New York City and continue writing in the areas of pop culture, politics, and social justice. Check out more of my writing here .

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College admissions

Course: college admissions   >   unit 4.

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How To Prepare for College: The Ultimate Guide for High School Students

College prep steps, research colleges you may be interested in, understand each college’s admission requirements, take standardized tests, participate in extracurriculars, take a variety of high school courses, save for college, attend college fairs, talk to your guidance counselor, round up application materials, consider financial aid options, visit campus if possible, tips for preparing for college, stay organized, build good study habits, take ap or dual-credit courses, practice your writing, build your leadership skills, ready to start your education, related blogs.

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Essays are the most important part of your application.

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Many colleges will refer to your essays when deciding whether or not to award you a scholarship. Do not think of these in the same way you would a high school essay. Think of these as your chance to convince a school that they want you on their campus and you will take advantage of the resources they provide!

These essays are a chance for the reader to get to know who you are...which is more than just the admissions application.

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How early colleges can make us rethink the separation of high school and postsecondary systems

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, julie edmunds , je julie edmunds program director, serve center - unc-greensboro fatih unlu , fu fatih unlu senior economist - rand corporation beth glennie , bg beth glennie senior research education analyst - rti international brian phillips , and bp brian phillips senior quantitative analyst - rand corporation nina arshavsky na nina arshavsky senior research specialist, serve center - unc-greensboro.

April 15, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a historic spike in unemployment insurance claims, and there is growing consensus that the economy is headed for a potentially deep and protracted recession. In the past, postsecondary credentials or degrees have helped mitigate the impact of an economic downturn. Of all new jobs created after the Great Recession, 99% went to individuals with some type of postsecondary training. Not only can postsecondary education help in times of economic distress, but at least some college education is becoming ever more necessary for earning a living wage in the 21 st -century economy.

Unfortunately, not all groups have the same levels of postsecondary education enrollment and attainment, with particular challenges for low-income populations and people of color . The growing need for postsecondary education coupled with continued, unequal access is a recipe for a widening gap between the haves and the have-nots—a gap that will likely be exacerbated by the current pandemic.

Policy responses to this persistent inequality have generally sought to address individual barriers to college access, whether financial , academic, cultural, or logistical. Since 2006, we have been studying a model—early college—that takes an entirely different approach. Early colleges ask a conceptually simple question: If we want more people to have postsecondary education, why don’t we just combine high school and college together?

What are early colleges?

Early colleges are small schools that seek to seamlessly integrate high school and college. Frequently located on college campuses, they enroll students starting in 9 th grade and provide them with early access to the college experience. Students remain in these schools for four or five years, during which time they complete their high school diploma and earn an associate degree or two years of transferable college credit.

Despite offering rigorous academic coursework, early colleges are not focused on gifted students; instead they target students who might traditionally face challenges in making the transition to college, such as low-income students, students who are the first in their family to go to college, and students who are members of racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in college. To minimize barriers that these students may face, early colleges also provide extensive academic and affective supports. The early-college model is being implemented broadly across the country, with more than 100 schools in North Carolina , over 170 in Texas , over 100 in Michigan , and more in many other states.

Do early colleges work?

We have been conducting a 14-year rigorous experimental study of North Carolina’s early-college model. Our study, which has been determined to meet federal standards for a high-quality research design , compared results for students who applied to early colleges and were accepted through a lottery (our treatment group) to students who applied but were turned down through the lottery (our control group). This research design ensures that we are comparing apples to apples.

We found 27% of students in our treatment group graduated from high school with an associate degree or technical credential, compared to 2% of our control group. An additional 47% graduated with at least some college credit, compared to 26% of the control group. Even if early-college students do not go on to any further education, they are much more likely to enter the workforce with some postsecondary training.

Many do pursue further education, though. Our most recent published findings looked at credential attainment by six years after 12 th grade. We found that:

• More early-college students earned postsecondary credentials than control students. More than 44% of treatment students had earned some sort of postsecondary credential by six years after 12 th grade, compared with 33% of the control group.
• Early-college students were three times as likely to get associate degrees as control students. 33% of early-college students earned an associate degree, compared to 11% of control students.
• Despite the higher rate of associate degree attainments, early-college students were not being steered away from bachelor’s degrees. Our research indicates no differences in the attainment of bachelor’s degrees between treatment and control students in the full sample. In fact, there was a 4.5-percentage-point positive impact on bachelor’s degree attainment for economically disadvantaged students.
• Early-college students earned their degrees more rapidly. The early-college model shortened students’ time to degree by two years for associate degrees and by six months for bachelor’s degrees.
• Despite spending less time in college, early-college students did equally well academically. Both groups had essentially the same average postsecondary GPA.

In addition to these impacts on postsecondary degree attainment, our prior research in North Carolina has shown that early-college students were more likely to complete high school courses required for college; students also had higher attendance and lower suspensions. Early-college students reported better experiences in school than control students. They were also more likely to enroll in college .

Finally, we’ve taken a preliminary look at the costs of the early-college model. While we found that early colleges were more expensive than a traditional comprehensive high school, they were a less expensive route to a two-year degree and a much less expensive pathway to earning a four-year degree.

What do these results mean?

The early-college model demonstrates that combining portions of high school and college is possible. Our results to date show many advantages, including an increase in degree attainment and less time to degree, which should benefit the students who attend these schools as well as society more broadly.

Some might argue that students will miss out on important learning if they earn a high school diploma and a two-year degree at the same time. At this point, we do not have any evidence to support that argument. Instead, we have found that early-college students perform just as well as students in the control group when they enter further postsecondary education. It is possible, as the president of Stanford argued 100 years ago , that the separate evolution of our secondary and postsecondary systems have led to unnecessary redundancies between the two.

We do not yet know how long or deep this economic downturn will be, or how the pandemic will affect the way we work and learn. However, if past patterns hold, having some postsecondary training will be more important than ever. And just as the post-coronavirus workplace is surely being re-envisioned, this crisis should motivate us to reconsider the structure of our educational system. Early college is a model that can help inform these discussions.

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13 Early College High School Pros and Cons

Early College High School, or ECHS, is an initiative that is currently available in the United States. It allows high school students who are pursuing their H.S. diploma to also pursue either an associate degree or 2 years of college credits by taking a combination of high school and college classes.

Although the benefits are similar to what a student with dual enrollment would experience, ECHS is a different experience. It requires students to take high school classes to be prepared for a full college workload. This is accomplished by having some of the high school classes be replaced by college classes.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation helped to fund the first ECHS initiative in 2002. Today, there are more than 230 schools in 28 states serving students with this option. If you’re thinking about it as a possibility, then here are the key Early College High School pros and cons to consider.

List of the Pros of ECHS

1. It reduces the cost of a college tuition. Most Early College High School programs are offered in conjunction with local public school districts. Although that means parents would need to apply for their local ECHS program in some way, there is generally no cost associated with such a program. Students will earn college credit that is tuition-free while simultaneously satisfying their high school requirements. Certain programs allow for a degree track to be started as early as 8th grade.

2. It creates a direct college path. Students taking ECHS classes are generating college credits which they can take with them to their future school of choice. Instead of taking time to prepare themselves for college, they are able to take actual college courses in program which will help them achieve their goals sooner than the traditional educational path would allow.

3. It offers different pathway options for students to consider. Most programs give ECHS students at least two options. They can complete an associate degree for general studies, which is worth 60 credits, or complete the core curriculum, which may be worth up to 42 credits. It includes enrollment in college readiness and academic support classes, allows for parent meetings to discuss academic performance, and students often receive an advocate for their education within their school as well.

4. It can boost the graduation rates of high school students. In the United States, the average graduation rate for high school students hovers around 70%. Even with education reform initiatives in place, some school districts struggle to see more students graduate each year. With an ECHS program in place, the graduation rates climb dramatically. For the ECHS schools currently in operation, the average graduation rate is currently above 90%. That is the equivalent of 20 more students out of every 100 coming out of school, armed with the skills they need to carve out their own successful niche in a career they are passionate about each year.

5. It supports low-income families. Because many of the ECHS programs are provided as part of a public education in the United States, access to the college coursework is free of charge. That is true even for low income areas. Even if there is an added cost for Early College High School programs, there are scholarship opportunities available to help low-income students become exposed to college-level work. That exposure gives them more opportunities to change their circumstances and pursue a career that may not be available to them in a “standard” schooling format.

6. It establishes good studying habits. One of the biggest struggles that college students face in their first few months of school is a shift in studying responsibilities. They are on their own, sometimes for the first time, and may struggle with good habits that lead to the grades they need for success. ECHS programs establish good, independent studying habits from the very beginning, helping students from any socioeconomic background be able to maximize the impact of their education while engaging with current technologies.

7. It closes the gap in college readiness. ACT conducted a study of high school teachers and college/university professors teaching first-year courses at their institution. The Huffington Post reports that the study found 89% of high school teachers believed that their students were ready for college. Only 26% of the professors/instructors rated their students as being prepared for college-level work. With ECHS programs, students are exposed to the rigors of higher learning earlier, allowing them to adapt better when the actual change in schooling occurs.

8. It offers rigorous criteria for acceptance. There are no exceptions to the rules established for Early College High School programs in the United States. Students aren’t rushed into a looser model of courses or accelerated learning, even if they come from a first-generation home or a low-income household. They are exposed to realistic expectations for their work and held to specific standards in core subject areas to ensure they are ready for college. That allows them to have an enriched high school experience and a possible advantage when they’re ready to go onto college.

List of the Cons of ECHS

1. It limits your future choices for college. If you are accepted into an Early College High School program, then you are locked into a specific curriculum. You begin taking classes up to a year before you’d be formally attending college classes. That means it may be a suitable choice for students who have already envisioned a career path for themselves and know what they want to do about it. For students still on the fence, it may be better to wait for a more formal college experience.

2. It does not take senior year grades into account. If you file early for an ECHS program, then it takes your current high school grades into account for acceptance. For those with borderline grades, the senior year grades may give enough of a boost to provide better placement options. For students without the right grades, ECHS isn’t even an option for some programs. Some students may find themselves doing a disservice to their future if they try to force this process.

3. It offers limited access to many students. ECHS programs may be available in the United States, though not every student lives within a district where access is possible. At the time of this writing, there are 22 states which have zero Early College High School programs in operation. There may be dual enrollment programs and college readiness classes offered, but actual ECHS initiatives have yet to offer them, especially in the Plains States.

4. It may not offer credits which transfer over. As with other college-style programs which offer students course credits while in high school, not every university or college will accept the credits earned within an ECHS program. Although students would still be able to avoid remedial classes during the first 1-4 semesters at college, the extra work they put in during their high school years may not translate to an actual degree if they took the core curriculum program only.

5. It does not always offer meaningful vocational skills. On any given year in the United States, about half of college graduates are employed in a position which doesn’t actually require a college degree. Although students are earning degrees at a faster pace, that isn’t translating into meaningful skills that can be applied in the workforce all the time. Being able to gain college credits

These Early College High School pros and cons are worth reviewing if you have a student at home who is thinking about pursuing a specific vocation in college. Entry can be as early as 8th grade, while some programs still accept Juniors for their program. With college tuition costs exceeding $40,000 per year at some private institutions, an advanced education is still possible thanks to ECHS.

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Early College High School Talk

First and foremost, this post is being created after curiously searching the web to see if people even discuss early colleges. Result: yes, but very vague. I also want to address that every early college is different and every university treats them different. I've seen a lot of middle schoolers and underclassmen high schoolers on this subreddit which is why I'm posting this information here. I apologize in advance for grammar and unorganized formats.

I attend an Early College High School in Texas and am about to reach senior year. My high school is located on a community college campus and has their own designated building. We're technically dual credit students and FOR MY SCHOOL we enter a university as a freshman. This does not speak for all EC schools. Same goes for the fact that my school doesn't make us choose a major or degree plan. However, they have neglected to tell us how certain things work till the last minute, so who knows? We do choose whether or not we want an A.A. or an A.S..

What I want to address is the "unspoken" features and "misunderstood" factors that people have either regretted not knowing or never mentioned in their posts.

"For most echs students who apply to a different 4-year university/college..."

That said university will accept/transfer college credits but will not treat you as a transfer and take your associates degree. This is because they have different pre-reqs.

If that said university is a ivy league, they will not take your credits almost 100% and so many people have not been told and regretted echs. Personally, I'm not planning to apply to any and am okay with it. Plus, some students said that echs still helped them prepare for ivy league schools.

I've read a case where people have had too many credits and could not graduate; however, they transferred twice and weren't echs students but students who had 20 something dual credits. (This is more of a warning to be careful on what school you choose and that you won't have as much wiggle room) With that being said, some universities do not like community college credits. DO YOUR RESEARCH!

You're more likely to get in to a college than a student who has the same rank as you.

Points I want to make out to middle schoolers and their parents: Reach out the school and attend every information session. Just like with colleges, it's a red flag if they're unorganized and don't provide much info. However, you should still do research and usually niche.com has good reviews. Researching the college is a good idea but keep in mind that students like me didn't have the exact same experience. Also see if you will still have the ability to do extracurriculars like clubs and athletics. I also forgot to address that, most likely, your child will not be given that many college classes their first year. For me, I had highschool classes and, for Texas schools you need to pass the TSI to even take college classes.

A message to those in a Early College:

If you're behind and don't feel right at your school, it is okay to transfer. From what I've heard, the sooner the better. There is no shame.

Don't leave because you "have no friends" unless you're being bullied or struggle alone in your sophomore year. A lot of people in my friend group did not connect the first year but in my junior year, the whole grade knew each other.

Connect we with the staff, you will not regret it when you can ask them for help and a teacher recommendation letter. Most teachers who apply to teach at an early college actually care and those who don't usually get fired. Again, I can't speak for all schools.

Most of classes is probably with other highschoolers, and trust me, an actual college class is not the same but not drastically bad.

Join a club and do community service. If your school doesn't offer athletics, there may be a non-school affiliated team in your area.

This is just stuff off the top of my head. If something I said was incorrect please feel free to share your experience in the comments. Also feel free to ask me questions or dm if the post is too old!

Here are some other notes: •Unless your school allows you to make your own schedule or have a certain major, most of your classes is decided by your school. However, you can choose what electives you choose and hopefully you have an idea of what field/school you want to go to. •Ask your school what are the effects of being ahead in math (I was almost placed in a difficult class against my will because I was college trig) •If your school/classes is on a college campus, don't be an annoying teenager. There are adults trying to just get an associates degree. They do not need to hear students yelling "UNO!!!" obnoxiously as they study. •Walking exists. Stairs exist. Weather exists. Colleges are not one huge building. Your friends will not notice you banging on the glass but everyone else will. •Ordering food is fun but not when you do it a lot and eat it in class. •Some professors will treat you like children (even at a real university but very rare) and some will treat you like an adult who has experienced 4 years of highschool. •If your professor has a dog or any pet, they will most likely talk about them. Don't worry, ratemyprofessor will tell you. Oh yes, they will expose their spouse. However, this is what made my classes better. Idk about the adults who are actually trying to learn. •My only class with actual adults was an ethics class because the high school class was too full. Not only was the teacher fun but somehow the class was harder. Mainly because philosophy in general is more subjective than a math class.

Early College is amazing, but it isn't for everyone and because it's America, they're not all structured the same.

I had a good experience at my school but I wish there was a better explanation. Yes, I've had a bigger workload compared to my friends at a normal highschool who had a few here and there, but my brother who didn't go to an echs also had days where he couldn't have fun. In the end, I still wouldn't trade this echs experience for the "normal highschool experience". I'm happy and excited for senior year. I really hope this helps someone with their journey.

TL;DR: not all early college schools are the same. Ivy leagues will not take your credit. Becareful on whether or not you want to attend the school and make sure you do your research.

Edit: addition that you are not immediately thrown into college classes (unless that's how your school's program works) and that I don't regret going to early college (this post is just to inform those who are struggling to decided and aren't provide enough info).

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Good day sir,am planning on traveling to study medicine in Tomsk. I also need a student job that could assist me in my monthly living expenses and payment of my student loan.I have taught in basic school for over 2 years and can speak English language.Please sir,can you assist me with information or directions on what to do to get over with this issue.Thank you

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Collection Meeting of Frontiers

Collections from siberia and the russian far east, aleksandrovsk municipal history and literature museum "a.p. chekhov and sakhalin" (55 items).

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Ivan Nikolaevich Krasnov's Views of Sakhalin Island (55 items)

Sakhalin Island was used by imperial Russia as a penal colony and place of exile for criminals and political prisoners. Between 1869 and 1906, more than 30,000 inmates and exiles endured the difficult conditions of the forced-labor colony on the island. This collection, consisting of an album and individual photographs, is preserved in the Aleksandrovsk Municipal History and Literature Museum "A.P. Chekhov and Sakhalin" in Alekandrovsk-Sakhalinskiy, Sakhalin Island (off Russia’s southeast coast). The photographs were taken on the island during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and provide rare glimpses of its settlements, prisons, and inhabitants. Most of the photographs in the collection were taken by Sakhalin artist Ivan Nikolaevich Krasnov, although some are unattributed. The collection depicts public life and institutions in the town of Aleksandrovsk Post, convicts working under harsh conditions or in chains, and political prisoners. The photographs also show the daily life both of the Nivkh people, indigenous to the northern part of the island, and the Russian settler population. The predecessor of the Aleksandrovsk Municipal History and Literature Museum "A.P. Chekhov and Sakhalin" appears in some of the photographs. The name of the museum refers to a trip taken to Sakhalin Island by the Russian writer and medical doctor Anton Chekhov in 1890, during which Chekhov researched the plight of island’s prisoners and native populations. The publication of his Sakhalin Island in 1895 highlighted the depravity of the situation in this remote corner of Russia and led to public protests that helped bring about the closure of the penal colony.

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Altai State Regional Studies Museum (221 items)

Photographs by the topographer g. i. ivanov, gornaia shoria, 1913 (109 items).

This collection consists of 109 photographs taken by G. I. Ivanov (1876-192?) during a 1913 topographic expedition to the Gornaia Shoria in the Altai region. That same year, Ivanov participated in another topographic expedition--to the Mrasskii region, Kuznetskii District (central part of the Gornaia Shoria). The photographs reflect both expedition activities and the life of the people in this region. The negatives were transferred to the Altai State Museum of Regional History and Folklife in the 1920s; prints were made and sets from both expeditions were added to the museum’s collections.

Sergei Ivanovich Borisov's Color Photo-Cards of the Altai Mountains (52 items)

A collection of color postcards made from negatives taken by photographer Sergei Ivanovich Borisov (1859–1935) in the Altay, or Altai, Mountains region of southern Siberia early in the 20th century. Borisov was born into a family of serfs in Simbirsk (present-day Ulyanovsk) and was forced to work from an early age. In the late 1880s he moved to the city of Barnaul in Altayskiy Kray, where in 1894 he opened a photography studio. This studio later became the largest and most popular in the city. In 1907, Borisov began his expedition in the Altay Mountains, which lasted until 1911. He took around 1,500 photographs during this expedition, which, upon his return to Barnaul, he presented to the public through the use of a magic lantern. The photographs depict views of nature in remote corners of the Altay Mountains and the Altay and Kazakh peoples indigenous to this region. Borisov offered the photographs to various European publishers for the production of postcards. The collection includes two series of color postcards. The first series was issued by the Swedish printing company Granberg Society in Stockholm, but it is not known where the second series was published.

V.V. Sapozhnikov. Photo Materials from Expeditions in the Southern Altai Region, 1895-1899 (60 items)

A collection of 60 photos by V.V. Sapozhnikov (1861‒1924), a geographer, botanist, ethnographer, and professor at Tomsk State University (the first institution of higher education established in Siberia), who made significant contributions to the study of the South Siberian region. The photographs were taken by Sapozhnikov during his expeditions to the Altai Mountains in 1895‒99 and later reproduced from his negatives for the Altai State Regional Studies Museum in Barnaul. The explorer gave his photograph collection and related materials from his expeditions to the museum in 1904. Each photograph is accompanied by an annotation with a geographic reference written by Sapozhnikov. The collection is unique for its complex and spectacular views, covering a variety of geographic features of the South Siberian region. In many of the photos, Sapozhnikov or other members of the expeditions are shown, struggling with difficult terrain and swollen rivers. Sapozhnikov's scientific activity was closely connected with the Russian Geographical Society, to which he was elected in 1898.

Amur Oblast Museum of Regional History and Folklife (101 items)

Investigations of the zeya river in 1907-1909 (101 items).

Izyskaniia reki Zei v 1907-1909 gg. (Investigations of the Zeya River in 1907-1909) is a unique integrated collection of documentary photographs that presents a vivid picture of the state of the Amur region up to 1909. The album was prepared in 1909‒10 by the mechanical engineer Vladimir I. Fedorov (1876‒1956) on the instructions of the waterways administration of the Amur basin. Its 100 photographs show natural scenes, indigenous peoples, settlers, river transport, and Russian surveyors at work. The photographs are captioned. The Zeya River is one of the most important tributaries of the Amur River. It rises in the Stanovoy range in the Russian Far East and runs southward and slightly to the west for 1,242 kilometers before joining the Amur near Blagoveshchensk.

Berdsk Historical Art Museum (153 items)

Berdsk in siberia during the 19th and 20th centuries (153 items).

A collection of 153 photographs and documents held in the Berdsk Historical Art Museum, drawn from the personal archives of people who lived in the town of Berdsk in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection offers glimpses into everyday life, the atmosphere, and the activities in Berdsk, a major center of grain processing at that time. The photographs show groups of students and teachers, local mills, people at work in agriculture and industry, soldiers, and children and youth.  Most appear to date from the early Soviet era. The documents include tickets, ration cards, membership cards, and other items relating to farming, trade, crafts, mining, and so forth. Berdsk is located in Novosibirsk Oblast in central Russia, along the Novosibirsk Reservoir just south of Novosibirsk city. Founded at the beginning of the 18th century as a fortress, it became a city in 1944.

Center for Documentation of Tomsk Oblast Recent History (101 items)

Tomsk regional committee documents regarding deported baltic peoples (101 items).

A collection of 101 documents from the archives of the Tomsk Regional Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union relating to the mass deportation to Siberia of Baltic peoples from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The documents, which date from the period 1941–60, are nearly all stamped "Secret." They shed light on such aspects of the deportations as the numbers of people involved, how the reception of deported peoples was organized, the resettlement and placement of deportees, material support, methods of ideological control and the assessment of the communist authorities of the ideological and political influences on the deportees, and the eventual lifting of legal restrictions on these population groups. The Soviet Union invaded the Baltic countries in the summer of 1940 and the deportations of Baltic peoples were carried out the following year, just before the Germany invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. Estimates of the numbers of deported citizens of the Baltic countries vary, but probably about 50,000 were sent to camps in Siberia in this period. The deportations were aimed out eliminating resistance to communist rule and targeted the political and intellectual elites in the Baltic countries. Deportations were halted following the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, but a second mass deportation of Baltic peoples to Siberia occurred after World War II, in March 1949, as the authorities sought to stamp out continued resistance to Soviet rule.

Igarka Museum of Permafrost (82 items)

Dead road: construction project 503 (82 items).

A collection of materials related to the Salekhard‒Igarka Railway, an unfinished Soviet railroad sometimes called the “Dead Road.” This railroad was intended to unite European Russia with the northern regions of Siberia and to facilitate the export of minerals from the industrial city of Noril’sk. Construction began in 1949 but was abandoned in 1953 after Stalin’s death. Stalin had ordered the construction of the railroad without heeding the advice of specialists, who knew that a railroad built on permafrost would be difficult to maintain. Stalin considered the railroad strategically necessary to facilitate the defense of Russia’s northern coast; however, actual demand for the railway was low. Construction was divided into two projects, number 501 and number 503, and was carried out by prisoners of the infamous gulag system. According to eyewitness accounts, conditions in the camps of these projects and in Yermakovo, the central settlement of construction project 503, were better than in most parts of the gulag system. This collection consists of photographs, documents, maps, letters, and memoirs housed in the Igarka Museum of Permafrost. Photographs depict daily life in Yermakovo, a settlement near Igarka, abandoned buildings and railroad equipment, and musicians and actors of the projects’ cultural and educational divisions. Many of the photographs were taken by Walter Ruge (1915–2011) and depict his wife Irina Andreevna Alferova. Ruge completed a ten-year sentence as a political prisoner in 1951 before he was released to live as an exile in Yermakovo, where he met Alferova, a fellow exile. The collection’s documents and maps provide information about the planning and construction of the railroad and the administration of the camps, while the memoirs and letters describe the experiences of prisoners, exiles, and civilian residents of Yermakovo and the camps.

Institute for the Study of Buddhism, Mongol, and Tibetan Culture of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (95 items)

Albazinskii prison. materials of archaeological research (95 items).

A collection of 95 drawings, color photographs, and slides documenting the results of the archaeological excavations at the fortress of Albazin, the first Russian settlement on the Amur River (at the present-day village of Albazino in the Amurskaya Oblast). The Russians established the fort at Albazin in 1651, and it soon became the largest fortified settlement of Russian pioneers in the Amur region. In 1686, after a long siege by Manchu troops, Russian Cossack troops surrendered the fortress. Under the terms of the Treaty of Nerchinsk, concluded in 1689 to establish peace between Russia and China, the fortress was demolished and the territory around it transferred to China. The photographs, slides, and drawings in the collection show views of the remains of the towers, walls, residential buildings, and household items discovered during the excavations. They offer insight into the economic activities, construction methods, and armament of the Russian soldiers and settlers of the 16th century.

Institute of History of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (405 items)

Photographs from archeographic expeditions to the schismatic monasteries on the upper malyi enisei river (tuva, 1966-75) (43 items).

The schismatic monasteries along the headwaters of the Little Yenisey River came into being in February 1917, when one of the splinter groups of the well-known monastery of Father Nifont moved to the Tuva (or Tyva) area, near the Mongolian-Russian border, from the Ural region. The Tuva copy of the Genealogy of the Schismatic Sect, composed by Father Nifont between 1887 and 1890, contains an appendix by Father Palladii, the head of monasteries in Tuva, laying out this succession of 20th-century monastic fathers-superior in Tuva: Nifont, Sergii, Ignatii and Palladii. Father Ignatii died in prison before World War II; shortly thereafter, Father Palladii’s brother committed suicide while under arrest by jumping into the frigid rapids of the Little Yenisey. Father Palladii was arrested three times, but he was able to escape (from exile in Krasnoyarsk and then from the camp near Vladivostok where the poet Osip Mandel’shtam is known to have perished). Toward the end of his life, Father Palladii was director of the Tuva monasteries, having gained the consent of the authorities to assume this position by promising that he no longer would object to military service for Old Believers. Father Palladii was a skilled transcriber and binder of manuscripts and early printed books who owned a large library of these materials. In 1966 he acquainted Novosibirsk archeographers with previously unknown and unstudied literary works composed in the Urals and Siberia from the 17th to the 20th centuries by Old Believer schismatic writers. The residents of these monasteries refuse to be photographed. They explain this refusal in the following way: upon christening, a person acquires an invisible aura around the head and, after death, this aura serves as a pass into heaven; the aura is diminished each time the person sins, and it is further weakened by photography. Outside monasteries, however, this prohibition is not enforced nearly as strictly, even in the families of spiritual teachers.

Photographs from Archeological Expeditions to Old Believer Monasteries (Rudnyi Altai, Headwaters of the Uba River, 1970-71) (42 items)

The monasteries of the Pomorskie Sect of Old Believers, visited by archeographers from Novosibirsk, were the successors to the Pokrovskii women’s monastery built there at the very beginning of the twentieth century with the financial support of Savva Morozov, a well-known textile mill owner who belonged to the Pomorskie Sect. (During this same period he was also financing underground Bolshevik-Leninist organizations.) Old photographs of the nuns at this monastery have been preserved.This monastery traditionally maintained close religious and economic ties with the local peasantry and the wealthy farming families of Old Believers in the Altai. The prosperous Altai peasantry offered stiff resistance (including armed resistance) to Soviet rule and the policy of “war communism” and collectivization. The harsh repression of this resistance took a toll on the Altai Old Believer communities and their book collections. For example, on the northern slopes of the Altai, in Uimon Valley, and on the Koksa River, where the richest Old Believer farms were devastated, a large collection of manuscripts and early printed books also was destroyed. A few miraculously spared sixteenth-century volumes were among the most valuable discoveries of the expeditions by the specialists from the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. When Siberian archeographers began travelling to the Altai Old Believer communities in the late 1960s and early 1970s, they found that the former prosperity was long gone, and the other valleys that had flourished before 1917 had become nearly depopulated. This was an ideal location for the secretive settlements of hermits, many of whom had once been nuns of the Pokrovskii monastery, while others had come from all parts of the country, e.g., Kuban’, which had maintained intensive correspondence with the Pomorskie Sect.In their way of life, the adherents of the Pomorskie Sect in Altai were less closed than, for example, the Tuva schismatics. Many of the monastery residents were quite willing to be photographed. The photograph taken of the superior of the main monastery, Mother Afanasiia, was placed alongside the icons in the chapel after her death.

Photographs from the Trial of the Dubches Hermits (6 items)

A collection documenting the trial in the early 1950s of the Dubches hermits. The hermits were associated with Old Believer monasteries persecuted by the communist authorities in what was then the Soviet Union. In 1937‒40 these monasteries were secretly relocated from the Ural Mountains to the left bank of the Lower Yenisey River and the Dubches River and its tributaries. Playing a large role in this effort was the men’s monastery of Father Simeon, whose writings traced the history of the monastery beginning in the 18th century, when it was led by the famed Hegumen (father superior) Maksim, the author of numerous polemic works. Along with the monastery of Father Simeon, nuns from the Permskii convent (on the Sylva River) and Sungul’skii convent (near the city of Kasli, Southern Urals) also relocated to the Dubches region. This secret move took several years. At the new site, the taiga (coniferous evergreen forests) was cleared for buildings and vegetable gardens. Several families of peasant adherents who migrated with the monasteries helped to erect a chapel, along with a building to house a rich collection of old books (more than 500 volumes, including a parchment manuscript and some 16th-century printed books). In 1951 the monasteries were spotted from the air by the Soviet authorities and subsequently demolished by a punitive detachment. The hermits associated with the monasteries and the peasants who had supported them were arrested, and all the buildings, icons, and books were burned. The Krasnoyarsk Office of the Ministry of State Security conducted an investigation and put 33 persons on trial. All those indicted were convicted under Articles 58-10 part 2 and 58-11 of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic criminal code and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 to 25 years. Alexandr Isaevich Solzhenitsyn wrote about these events in his classic Gulag Archipelago. Two of those arrested perished in Soviet concentration camps: Father Simeon and Mother Margarita. After the death in 1953 of the dictator Joseph Stalin, the others were granted amnesty on November 12, 1954.

Special Settlers in West Siberia in the 1930s (311 items)

The commemorative album “Soviet Narym: Opening of the West-Siberian North by Labor Settlers, 1930-36” contains statistical, narrative, cartographic, and illustrated materials relating to the people who were forcibly settled in the Narym region by the Soviet authorities in the 1930s. The album, compiled in 1936 by the secret police of West Siberia as the result of a government investigation, sought to document for Moscow the opening of the Narym region by labor settlers. Housed for a time in police archives, the album later fell into private hands during a “purge” of these archives, but since 2002 has been in the custody of the Sector on the History of Sociocultural Development, Institute of History, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences.

Irkutsk Municipal History Museum (572 items)

Materials from the ethnographic expedition of p.p. khoroshikh in 1927 (257 items).

Presented here is an album of 167 photographs and 89 drawings made during the 1927 expedition in the Balagansk District of the Irkutsk region by the famous Siberian ethnographer and archaeologist Pavel Khoroshikh and local history specialist Petr Trebukhovskii. The materials in the album detail the different aspects of the economic activities of the Russian and Buriat population, types of houses and farm buildings, tools and daily activities, and various aspects of children's upbringing. Together, these illustrations are the richest source of material for studying the life of the peasant population of the region before the kholkhoz (collective farm) period of the Soviet era; forced collectivization began in 1928. The Balagansk District is located in the south-central part of Irkutsk Oblast, on the left bank of the Angara River. It was settled by Russians from 1655 onward, and has long been inhabited by the Bulagat, a Buriat tribe whose name derives from the Buriat word for sable hunter.

Photography in Irkutsk (136 items)

This collection contains 136 photographs of Irkutsk from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The photographs show views of both the city of Irkutsk and countryside of Irkutsk Province; methods of transportation; and the citizenry--including their way of life, social activities, and forms of entertainment.

Russians in Harbin, 1920s-1940s (from the Archive of V. P. Ablamskii) (110 items)

Vladimir Pavlovich Ablamskii (1911-1994), a figure-skating champion from northern China, was also a famous Harbin photographer and photojournalist. This collection contains Ablamskii’s photographs depicting the life of the Russian immigrant community in Harbin.

The Baikal Region at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century in the Photographs of I. A. and V. I. Podgorbunskiih (69 items)

This collection presents a series of photographs taken by the Podgorbunskiis. The father, I. A. Podgorbunskii, was a priest, teacher, scientist, and local historian. The son, V. I. Podgorbunskii, was an archaeologist. Their photographs of the Baikal region depict the scenery as well as the way of life and culture of local residents.

Irkutsk State University (364 items)

Peoples of siberia: the buryats and yakuts (152 items).

This collection consists of two photograph albums from the early twentieth century, with pictures presumably taken by I. Popov. The album “Views of the Yakutsk Region” contains 151 photographs. Subjects include the Lena River shore; various forms of river transport--including boats, rafts, trade barges, and steamships; post offices along the Lena highway, and transport by horse and reindeer. The album “Peoples of Siberia” contains twenty-seven photographs depicting Yakuts and Buryats, everyday life, festivals, meetings, housing, utensils, and hunting accessories. Several of the photographs are signed with the initials “I. P.”

Views of Hunting Grounds in Irkutsk Oblast (72 items)

Vidy okhotugodii Irkutskoi oblasti (Views of hunting grounds in Irkutsk Oblast) is an unpublished album of photographs depicting hunting grounds along the Lena River in southeastern Siberia. Subjects shown include hunters, river scenes, hunting scenes, dogs, horses, and winter dwellings in the Kazachinsko-Lensky, Zhigalovsky, and Kachugsky Districts of the oblast, along with family photographs of the local Tungusic people. Each photograph is accompanied by a handwritten caption. Taken by the art critic V.N. Troitskii in 1930, the photographs offer insights into the nature, economic activities, and life of the indigenous and Russian populations of Siberia at the turn of the 1920s–1930s.

Views of the Akatuy Hard Labor Camp (48 items)

Presented here is an album of 47 views of convicts and structures at the Akatuy Prison, one of the main centers where political prisoners were held in the Russian Empire during the late-tsarist period. The album belonged to Isaiah Aronovich Shinkman, a physician and member of the Socialist Revolutionary Party, who was incarcerated at Akatuy from 1906 to 1911. The prison was located at the Akatuy silver mine in Nerchinsk okrug (district) in the Transbaikal Territory of Siberia. Thousands of political prisoners were exiled to Siberia from European Russia and from Poland, Finland, Latvia, and Estonia (all then part of the Russian Empire) following the repression of the Russian Revolution of 1905. Criminal labor convicts and political prisoners had long been sent to Nerchinsk to work in extracting lead-silver ores in the region’s mines. The American explorer and journalist George Kennan (1845–1924) visited Akatuy in 1885, and wrote about his experience in his book Siberia and the Exile System (1891), a scathing critique of the system of prisons and prison camps in Russia. The album is held by the Irkutsk State University in Irkutsk and was digitized for the Meeting of Frontiers digital library project in the early 2000s. The photographs it contains offer glimpses into the day-to-day existence and activities of the political prisoners in Siberia in the years before World War I and the outbreak of the Russian Revolution of 1917.

Views of the Trans-Baikal and Irkutsk, a Photo Album by N. A. Charushin (54 items)

This album consists of fifty-three photographs by the Siberian photographer N. A. Charushin. Most of the photographs were taken on the Udunginsk and Circumbaikal Roads and represent images of bridges, rail stations, quays, ferries, and other construction.

Jewish Autonomous Region Museum of Regional History and Folklife (35 items)

Materials of the collection of professor b.l. bruk (35 items).

A collection of documents, photographs, maps, and printed works relating to the life and work of Professor Boris L’vovich Bruk, a well-known Russian agronomist who did much to study and develop agriculture in the Russian Far East and the central regions of Russia. In 1927, Bruk headed the expedition of the Committee on the Land Management of Working Jews (KOMZET) to the thinly populated Birobidzhan region to study the possible resettlement there of Jews from European Russia. The collection also includes the report issued by KOZMET after the conclusion of the expedition. The materials in the collection reflect the life and career of Bruk, his scientific activities, and the propaganda activities of the Soviet state relating to the introduction of modern agricultural technologies into the peasant economy. They also provide information on the nature, climate, and economy of the Birobidzhan region. Located in the Russian Far East near the border with China, the Birobidzhan region was established in 1928 by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin as the Jewish Autonomous Region of the Soviet Union.

Kamchatka Regional Unified Museum (469 items)

Kamchatka in the early twentieth century (297 items).

This album contains 296 works by such photographers as René Malaise, S. I. Beinarovich, I. E. Larin, and other, unknown artists. Larin lived on Kamchatka from 1917 to 1934 and was a prominent communist and the first chairman of the regional soviet. Malaise was a member of a Swedish expedition to Kamchatka in 1922-23. The album itself belonged to Mikhail Petrovich Vol'skii, chairman of the Kamchatka regional soviet in the 1920s and 1930s. This album offers a glimpse of life in the Russian Far Northeast in the first third of the twentieth century. It includes nature scenes of Kamchatka, views of Petropavlovsk and other population centers, and images of the indigenous peoples of Kamchatka and neighboring territories--their occupations and their material culture.

Photographs from the Eastern Reaches of the Russian Empire (44 items)

This collection consists of forty-four photographs of Sakhalin Island and the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskii in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The photographs depict streets, individual buildings, panoramas of populated areas, and local people, including convicts and prisoners. The collection offers insights into the economy, society, and way of life in this remote corner of the Russian Empire around the turn of the twentieth century. The identity of the photographer is unknown.

The Kamchatka Photo Album of B. I. Dybovskii (128 items)

This photo album belonged to Benedikt Ivanovich Dybovskii (Benedykt Dybowski), 1833-1930, a well-known Polish zoologist.  Dybovskii was exiled to Siberia, for taking part in the Polish uprising of 1863-64; he remained there until 1877.  He returned to Siberia in 1879 and served as the Kamchatka district physician until 1883.  Dybovskii studied the environment and fauna of Baikal, Priamur'e, and Kamchatka.  The album presents views of the port of Petropavlovsk and other settlements in Kamchatka as well as photographs of the people of Kamchatka--merchants, craftsmen, peasants, Cossacks, and Kamchadals.  The album holds 127 unique photographs, which provide a clear image of the city of Petropavlovsk, the historical events associated with it, and its people in the second half of the nineteenth century.

Kemerovo Oblast Museum of Regional History and Folklife (302 items)

Civil war in the kuzbass (103 items).

This collection contains documents and photographs from more than thirty participants of the Russian Civil War in the Kuzbass, including commanders and commissars of the Red partisan movement. Among the unique items in the collection are materials relating to the circulation of money in Siberia (that is, the new currency introduced by the Kolchak government) and the photograph album, “Development of the Anzher Coal-Mine District in 1918-23.”

Documents and Photographs from the Kuzbass Autonomous Industrial Society (199 items)

The “Kuzbass” autonomous industrial colony was created in 1921. It was organized by American workers, who took on the obligation of inviting from the United States and Western Europe some eight thousand skilled workers and specialists to industrialize the Kuzbass. The Soviet government turned over to the colonists a number of Kemerovo mine shafts and an unfinished coking plant. To recruit volunteers to work in Siberia, a “Kuzbass Bureau” was opened in the middle of New York City, and an information bulletin began to be published in the United States. Between January 1922 and December 1923, however, only 566 persons arrived for work in the Kuzbass. The colonists included emigrants from America, Canada, the Netherlands, France, Australia, Jamaica, Indonesia, and other countries as well.

Krasnoiarsk Krai Museum of Regional History and Folklife (501 items)

Everyday life of yenisei province, late nineteenth-early twentieth centuries.

This collection includes more than four hundred photographs of daily life in Yenisei Province in the late tsarist period. Photographs include peasants, Cossacks, and high-ranking officials.

Letters from the Decembrist Revolt

Presented here is a collection of 78 letters written between 1838 and 1850 by Decembrists and their wives. The letters were written from places of hard labor and settlements in Siberia and are addressed to Iakov Dmitrievich Kazimirskii, a manager at the Petrovskii Factory. The writers include I.I. Pushchin, V.L. Davydov, A.I. Iakubovich, A.Z. Muraviev, N.A. Bestuzhev, V.V. Vadkovskii, A.P and M.K Iushnevskii, I.S. Povalo-Shveikovskii, E.I. Trubetskaia, S.G. Volkonskii, I.I. Gorbachevskii, M.F. Mit’kov, and E.P. Obolensky. The Decembrists were a group of Russian revolutionaries who led an unsuccessful uprising against tsarist authority in December 1825. They were primarily members of the upper classes with military backgrounds. After the suppression of the uprising, 289 Decembrists were put on trial. Five–the leaders –were executed; 31 were imprisoned; and the rest exiled to Siberia. Many wives of the Decembrists accompanied their husbands into banishment in Siberia. The collection is held in the Krasnoyarskskiy Krai Museum of Regional History and Folklife. The letters came to the museum in the 1930s from the Krasnoyarsk Regional Library as part of a collection of documents assembled by the famous bibliophile-merchant Gennadii Vasil’evich Iudin. Most of the letters were published in the book Sibirskie pis’ma dekabristov: 1838-1850 (Siberian letters of the Decembrists: 1838-1850), compiled by T.S.  Komarova and published by the Krasnoyarsk Book Publishing House in 1987.

M. N. Khangalov Museum on the History of Buryatia (66 items)

Christianity in buryatia.

This collection consists of sixty-six photographs and documents that depict the history and activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Buryatia in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It includes the papers of Nikolai, Bishop of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands; views of Orthodox churches and cathedrals; church records; confessional lists; birth registers; music manuscripts, and other documents.

Memory of Kolyma Museum (42 items)

Materials on the history of sevvostlag (42 items).

A collection of photographs, drawings, newspapers, and documents gathered in the Kolyma region of Russia. Kolyma is a northeastern region that takes its name from the Kolyma River and includes parts of the present-day Chukotka Autonomous Okrug and present-day Magadan Oblast. This region contained deposits of gold and platinum and was home to Sevvostlag (Northeastern Corrective Labor Camps), one of the Soviet Union’s most infamous labor camp systems, which was administered by a government agency known as Dalstroy (Far North Construction Trust). These materials were collected by the Yagodnoye District public historical and educational organization “Search for the Unlawfully Repressed.” This organization was founded in 1990 with the goal of locating former prisoners of the Kolyma camps. It corresponds with more than 500 former prisoners and their relatives, publishes prisoners’ memoirs, conducts local history research, and carries out expeditions to the remains of camps. The materials collected by Search for the Unlawfully Repressed became the basis for the collections of the Memory of Kolyma Museum, where this collection is housed. The collection’s photographs depict ruins of camp buildings, daily life in Kolyma, and journalists traveling in the region. Other materials of the collection include a map of Kolyma’s camps, newspapers from the region, certificates, letters, records of criminal cases, and personal files.

Museum of the History of the Norilsk Industrial Region (212 items)

The last archipelago: investigation of severnaya zemlya in 1930-1932 (212 items).

A collection of materials, including manuscripts, photographs, and a photograph album, from the N.N. Urantsev Foundation devoted to the last major geographical discovery on earth: the exploration of Severnaya Zemlya in the expedition of 1930‒32 expedition under the leadership of G.A. Ushakov (1901‒63) and N.N. Urvantsev (1893‒1985). The manuscripts and photographs offer new and previously unknown information about the harsh conditions and limited plant and animal life of Severnaya Zemlya and document the history of the expedition. As characterized by N.N. Urvantsev, this was the last polar expedition of the Nansen-Amundsen era, in which success was achieved through human endurance and perseverance in pursuing a goal using a minimum of technical and material resources. Severnaya Zemlya (meaning “northern land” in Russian) is an archipelago of four large and many smaller islands located in the Arctic Ocean, immediately north of Cape Chelyuskin, the most northerly point in Siberia. Much of the territory is covered by ice and snow. The archipelago was first discovered only in 1913 and was not explored until the two-year Ushakov-Urvantsev expedition mapped and surveyed the territory.

National Research Tomsk State University (101 items)

Drawings and paintings by pavel mikhailovich kosharov (143 items).

The Research Library of Tomsk State University and the Tomsk Oblast Museum of Regional History and Folk Life hold a collection of about 150 works by the famous Siberian artist, teacher, and public educator Pavel Mikhailovich Kosharov (1824–1902). Siberia in all its diversity is the basic theme of this collection of paintings, lithographs, sketches, studies, and drawings, which capture various remote corners of the Siberian wilderness, spectacular vistas of the Altai, scenes of numerous Siberian cities and villages, and the faces and way of life of the indigenous peoples of Siberia.

Nikolaevsk-on-Amur Museum of Municipal History and Folklife (103 items)

Nikolaevsk-on-amur in postcards during the early 20th century (103 items).

Presented here is a collection of 103 postcards of the city of Nikolayevsk-on-Amur in the early 20th century. The collection provides a unique photographic record of the development of the city and of the lower Amur region in this period. The cards offer views of the architectural appearance of the old city (especially valuable, because during the Russian Civil War Nikolayevsk-on-Amur was destroyed and burnt), as well as of the culture, daily life, and occupations of residents, and of the different ethnic groups that made up the population of the region. The postcards all have printed labels on their front sides, in Russian or in both Russian and German. A few of the postcards contain written messages on the back, and have been digitized on both sides. The collection is housed in the Nikolayevsk-on-Amur Municipal Local History Museum. Formation of the collection began in the 1960s. Postcards came from former residents of the city of Nikolayevsk-on-Amur and from the exchange of collections with other museums and local history specialists.

Novosibirsk State Museum of Regional History and Folklife (526 items)

Boris smirnov print collection (99 items).

Boris Vasilievich Smirnov (1881–1954) was a Russian artist who in 1904 traveled by prisoner transport from western Russia across Siberia. Along the way he created a series of drawings and watercolors of the people and places he encountered. Best known as a portraitist, Smirnov focused on the faces of the men and women he met, who included exiles, prisoners, settlers from Ukraine and western Russia, local military and civilian officials, peasants and merchants. His works from this period also include a handful of drawings of houses and landscapes. The sketches were made in the Ural Mountains, Irkutsk, Omsk, Krasnoyarsk, and in villages along the route. The details of Smirnov’s journey are sketchy. Some accounts say that he traveled along the Great Siberian Road as a volunteer on the way to the front in the Russo-Japanese War. Other accounts say that he was an exile, possibly sent to Siberia for refusing to be conscripted into the army. The Great Siberian Road, depicted in several of Smirnov’s drawings, was the route from Moscow to China via Siberia. Smirnov’s collection of 99 graphic items is preserved in the Novosibirsk State Museum of Regional History and Folklife. The collection was acquired by the museum from the artist in 1950.

Ethnographic Artists' Sketches from the 1920s and 1930s (96 items)

The graphics collection of the Novosibirsk State Museum of Regional History and Folklife includes the works of such famous Siberian painters as Dmitrii Inokent’evich Karatanov, Natal’ia Nikolaevna Nagorskaia, Aleksei Vasil’evich Voshchakin, and Grigorii Gustavovich Likman. These lesser-known drawings and watercolors were done in the field in the 1920s and 1930s. They include both ethnographic sketches and first-hand depictions of the young, fast-growing Siberian megalopolis.

Native Peoples of Siberia (212 items)

This collection includes more than two hundred photographs taken during scientific expeditions into the most remote wilderness regions of Siberia at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries. This selection illustrates the life of seven indigenous groups from East Siberia: Kets, Dolgans, Buryats, Yakuts, Even, Evenks, and Toffalars.

Photographs from the Ethnographic Expeditions of Natal'ia Nagorskaia (20 items)

The well-known Novosibirsk ethnographer and graphic artist Natal’ia Nikolaevna Nagorskaia (1895-1983), while on the staff of the Novosibirsk State Museum of Regional History and Folklife (NGKM), made a number of ethnographic expeditions to Khakasiia, Gornaia Shoriia, Turukhan krai, and the Altai. The NGKM collections preserve the materials from her expeditions, including field sketches, expedition journals, photographs, and artifacts of the material culture of the native peoples of Southern Siberia.

The Road Building Department of the Tomsk District. Railroad Construction in 1909 (49 items)

The road building department of the tomsk district. road construction in 1906-1908 (50 items).

Presented here are two albums preserved in the Novosibirsk State Museum of Regional History and Folklife containing photographs documenting various stages in the construction of dirt roads in the Tomsk region by workers and engineers of the road-building department of the Russian Resettlement Administration. The albums date from 1906–8 and 1909. The Russian state paid for the construction of roads, such as those depicted in the albums in order to connect settlers with a railroad line, a navigable river, or commercial-industrial centers. The overall purpose of the road-building program was to promote the colonization of the taiga (moist coniferous forest regions) of Siberia. The albums show the construction of roads in the region between the main line of the Trans-Siberian Railroad and the Chet’ and Kandat Rivers in Tomsk gubernia (governorate), a distance of 170 versts (about 182 kilometers).

Omsk State Museum of Regional History and Folklife (371 items)

The first western siberian agricultural, forestry, and commerical-industrial exhibition in omsk, 1911 (157 items).

A collection of photographs documenting the First West Siberian Agricultural, Forestry, and Industrial Trade Exhibition, which took place in Omsk in 1911. The exhibition was held from June 15 to August 1 of that year, and was a significant event in the life of the Siberian region. Nothing on this scale or this level of ambition had ever been staged in Siberia. The collection includes photographs of the exhibition organizers, general views, and images of pavilions, exhibits, prize-winning livestock, crowds at a musical event, and even an aviator and his airplane. Also included are drawings made by the engineers and architects for several of the pavilions. The photographs provide insights into the economic and social development of Siberia in the early 20th century and show a dynamic and self-confident region.

Types of Buildings in the Cossack Settlements (48 items)

Types of cossacks: siberian cossacks on duty and at home (74 items), views of the cossack territories (92 items).

Presented here are three albums depicting the territories, culture, and way of life of the Cossacks living in the steppe regions of western Siberia and present-day Kazakhstan. These albums were created for and exhibited at the First West Siberian Agricultural, Forestry, and Commercial-Industrial Exhibition in Omsk in 1911. The albums were part of a collection of photographs assembled between 1891 and 1918 by the museum of the West Siberian Branch of the Imperial Russian Geographic Society in Omsk. The photographs in the albums were taken in 1909 by N.G. Katanaev (son of Colonel G.E. Katanaev) during a journey to Cossack settlements in Stepnoi krai (later the oblasts of Ural’sk, Turgai, Akmola, and Semipalatinsk). The Cossacks began serving in garrisons in fortified Siberian towns from the late 16th century onward. In 1808 the Cossacks in these outposts were organized as the Siberian Cossack Host, a military force of mainly cavalry regiments that subsequently took part in the Russian conquest of Central Asia as well as in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904‒5 and in World War I. Omsk was the administrative center for the host, which was headed by an ataman appointed by the tsarist authorities. The host was abolished by the Soviet authorities in 1920.

Phototext Foundation (196 items)

Materials of the ethno-photo expedition: people on the frontier (196 items).

This collection contains photographs from the international photographic expedition, “People on the Frontier,” to the Saian-Altai region from June 12 to July 4, 2002. The photographs tell stories about such topics as the peoples of the region, their religions, steppe roads, and everyday life. Photographers who participated in the expedition included Heidi Bradner (Panos Pictures, London), Vladimir Dubrovskii (Novosibirsk), Sergei Il’nitskii (Moscow), Andrei Kobylko (Novokuznetsk), Aleksandr Kuznetsov (Krasnoiarsk), and Aleksandr Sorin (Moscow). The expedition, which began and ended in Novosibirsk, covered 7,000 kilometers and included stops in Biisk, Gorno-Altaisk, Ust-Koksa, Ust-Kan, Ongudai, Ulagan, Kosh-Agach, Tahsanta, Aktahs, Buiisk--Kemerovo, Abakan, Kazanovka, Askiz, Kyzyl and Maiskii, Talon, Tulesh, Kilinsk, and Belovo.

Private Archive of Sergei Nikolaevich Chashchin (85 items)

Firefighting in irkutsk province (85 items).

This collection of photographs and documents from the private archive of Sergei Mikhailovich Chashchin relates to the establishment of a firefighting service in eastern Siberia in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It includes materials about early firefighting equipment, the organization of a Siberian firefighting team, and the leaders of Siberia’s first firefighting service.

Siberian Museum Agency (247 items)

The russian far east in modern photography (165 items).

A collection entitled “The Russian Far East in Modern Photography,” which documents several regions of the Russian Far East at the beginning of the 21st century. The Russian Far East encompasses a large geographical area that borders the Pacific Ocean and stretches from the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug in the northeast to Primorsky Krai in the southeast, along the borders with China and North Korea. The collection includes several photographs by the famed researcher and photographer Vitalii Aleksandrovich Nikolaenko (1938–2003), who spent more than 30 years observing and studying the brown bears of the Kamchatka Peninsula and was eventually killed by a bear while carrying out his work. Also included are photographs of Sakhalin Island by Moscow-based photographer Aleksandr Vladimirovich Sorin, of Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands by Aleksandr Mikhailovich Bermant, of Primorsky Krai by Vladimir Mikhailovich Kobzar’, and of Kamchatka by Irina Vladimirovna Stakhanova. The photographs depict the varied natural landscapes of the Russian Far East, including the geysers and volcanoes of Kamchatka and the coastlines of Russia’s Pacific islands. The collection also captures the work of the region’s fishermen, daily life and recreation in its settlements, and its wildlife, including Kamchatka bears and Amur tigers. The collection was gathered for the Meeting of Frontiers digital library project in the early 2000s.

Timeless Chukotka (82 items)

This collection entitled “Timeless Chukotka,” which was created by Moscow photographer Aleksandr Vladimirovich Sorin (born 1965) and Novosibirsk journalist Artem Gotlib. In June and July of 2003, Sorin and Gotlib undertook an expedition to the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the most northeasterly region of the Russian Federation. Chukotka is characterized by a low population density, an untouched and mostly mountainous natural landscape, and a harsh Arctic climate. About half of the region’s territory lies north of the Arctic Circle. Transportation by airplane is more efficient and more widespread than travel on the region’s few roads. Sorin and Gotlib initially planned to travel by barge along the Anadyr’ River, but the complications of transportation in Chukotka led them to alter their plans. Their eventual route took them from Anadyr’, the administrative center of the region, to the tundra settlement of Ust’-Belaya, and on to the settlements of Bukhta Provideniya, Sireniki, and Novoye Chaplino on the shores of the Bering Sea. Sorin and Gotlib concluded that conventional concepts of time and punctuality have little meaning in Chukotka, which explains the word “timeless” that they used in naming their collection. The photographs depict the daily lives of the people of Chukotka, as well as its settlements, coastlines, and natural landscapes. The collection was gathered for the Meeting of Frontiers digital library project in the early 2000s.

State Archives of Novosibirsk Oblast (130 items)

Construction and views of the circumbaikal railroad. 1900-1904 (58 items).

In the second half of the 19th century, Russia underwent a period of extensive rail development that culminated in the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Akin to the great railroads to the Pacific in both the United States and Canada, Russia's transcontinental line was intended to supply and populate Siberia as well as deliver raw materials to the rapidly developing industries west of the Urals. Working against an ambitious timetable and under severe conditions of climate and terrain, the Russians effectively united the European and Asian parts of the empire by completing this herculean project. The engineering plans provided for the sequential construction of six basic segments. The fourth of these was the Circum-Baikal Railroad from Irkutsk to the eastern side of Lake Baikal. This album of 56 photographs in the Collection of Documentary Materials on the History of the West-Siberian Railroad (1890s–1978) in the Novosibirsk Oblast State Archive documents the construction of this part of the line. The photographs focus on engineers and workmen building tunnels and trestles along the route.

Construction of the Middle-Siberian Railroad. 1893-1898 (20 items)

This photographic collage is from an 18-page album in the Collection of Documentary Materials on the History of the West-Siberian Railroad (1890s–1978) in the Novosibirsk Oblast State Archive that documents the construction of the Mid-Siberian Railroad from Novo-Nikolaevsk (present-day Novosibirsk) to Innokentievskaia near Irkutsk, with a spur line to Tomsk. The collage features portraits of the men responsible for the construction of the line, overlaid on photographs showing the construction process.

Views of the West-Siberian and Ekateringburg-Cheliabinsk Railroad (52 items)

This album of 50 photographs from the Collection of Documentary Materials on the History of the West-Siberian Railroad (1890s–1978) in the Novosibirsk Oblast State Archive documents the construction of the West Siberian railroad and the railroad between the cities of Ekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk. The images, by the artist and printer Artur Ivanovich Vil’borg (born 1856), include views of railroad bridges over the Ushaika, Tom’, and Lebiazh’ia Rivers, the passenger depots at the Tomsk, Ob', and Oiash stations, and portraits of engineers and other personnel involved in the railroad construction.

The State Public Scientific and Technical Library of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (113 items)

Tsarist patents, 1899-1917: urals, siberia, and the russian far east (113 items).

This collection consists of a selection of tsarist patents awarded to residents of the Urals, Siberia, and the Russian Far East in the final years of the empire. These documents are a valuable source of information about the opening of the Siberian and Far Eastern regions in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and technological progress in Russia--the state of industrial development, the organization of industry, and the extent of mining and mineral excavation.

Tobolsk Museum of History, Architecture, and Preservation (239 items)

Drawings and illustrations by mikhail stepanovich znamenskii, 1858-1891 (239 items).

A collection of 239 drawings and illustrations made by the 19th century Siberian artist Mikhail Stepanovich Znamenskii(1833–92) between 1858 and 1891. From the West Siberian city of Tobolsk, Znamenskii was a well-known local historian, archaeologist, ethnographer, artist, and master of satirical prints and drawings. The collection reflects almost all aspects of his work. It includes drawings of artifacts from archaeological finds in the territory of West Siberia, sketches of nature, people, and cities, a few maps, and several satirical albums with caricatures and humorous sketches of everyday life of the people. Together, the illustrations in the collection give a portrait of the people of and physical conditions in West Siberia in the second half of the 19th century.

Tomsk Oblast Museum of Regional History and Folklife (422 items)

Photographs by i. s. fateev: the tym river selkups in 1938 and 1940 (177 items).

This is a collection of prints from glass negatives shot by Ivan Stepanovich Fateev. The photos were taken in the Tym River region on two expeditions organized by the museum director, Petr Ivanovich Kutaf’evyi. Fateev captured the way of life of a group of Narym (southern) Selkups living in close proximity with their Evenki neighbors during the period of aggressive Sovietization of West Siberian native peoples.

The Civil War in West Siberia (45 items)

This collection contains unique documentary photographs relating to the Russian Civil War in Siberia. The photographs highlight the anti-Bolshevik (“White”) movements, underground and partisan activities in Tomsk Province, and the establishment of Soviet rule in Tomsk. The collection also includes material about the punitive expeditions of Admiral Aleksandr Kolchak. Most of the photographs were acquired by the Tomsk Oblast Museum of Regional History and Folklife in the 1920s and 1930s from the Research Commission on the History of the October Revolution and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

The Grigorii Nikolaevich Potanin and Nikolai Mikhailovich Iadrintsev Collection (110 items)

This collection consists of diverse materials belonging to Grigorii Nikolaevich Potanin (1835–1920) and Nikolai Mikhailovich Iadrintsev (1842–94), two prominent Siberian scholars, social and political activists, and leaders of the regional-studies movement. The materials include their correspondence with friends and social activists (eighty-five items), photographs from N. G. Potanin’s expedition to Mongolia in 1899 (seventeen items), and photographs from the journal of Nina Aleksandrovna Adrianova, who was the daughter of Aleksandr Vasil’evich Adrianov, a specialist in regional studies (eight items).

Maps from the Tomsk Oblast Museum of Regional History and Folklife (48 items)

The Tomsk Oblast Museum of Regional History and Folklife (TOKM) map collection represented in the Meeting of Frontiers project numbers forty-nine items on 117 pages. The collection was built quietly throughout the history of the museum. The bulk of the collection consists of nineteenth-century regional maps of Tomsk, Tobolsk, Irkutsk, and Enisei guberniias, land-use and road maps, and maps of Siberian cities.

V. I. Surikov Museum of Art in Krasnoiarsk (321 items)

Works of d. i. karatanov, a. g. vargin, and a. p. lekarenko from their expeditions to siberia (321 items).

This collection presents sketches, drawings, watercolors, and paintings by three well-known Krasnoiarsk artists, Dmitri Innokent’evich Karatanov, A. G. Vargin, and Andrei Prokofievich Lekarenko, produced during their expeditions to Siberia in the 1910s and 1920s. These works are located at two institutions: V. I. Surikov Museum of Art in Krasnoiarsk and Krasnoiarsk Krai Museum of Regional History and Folklife. Karatanov (1872-1952) studied at the St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts but left the Academy in 1896 before finishing his course of study to return to Krasnoiarsk. He began teaching at the High School of Arts in Krasnoiarsk in 1910; many well-known local artists studied under him. The main theme of his work was the Siberian landscape. He was named an “Honored Artist of the RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic)” in 1948.  Very little is known about Vargin. The 110 drawings that he made during his trip to Siberia with A. A. Savel’ev are his only surviving works.  Lekarenko (1895-1974) studied under Karatanov and V. A. Favorskii, and was one of the founders of the local artists union “New Siberia.” He also taught at the High School of the Arts in Krasnoiarsk as well as at the Surikov Academy of Arts in that city. In 1967 Lekarenko was awarded the “Order of Honor” and named “Honored Artist of the RSFSR” for his dedication to educational work.

V.A. Obruchev Museum of Kyakhta Regional History and Folklife (71 items)

Russian-chinese cross-border trade (71 items).

A collection of 71 items (photographs and negatives on glass) made in the late 19th century and early 20th century by the famous revolutionary-populist and social and political activist N.A. Charushin (1851–1937) and by N. Petrov. Charushin began serving a hard labor sentence in the Transbaikal Territory in 1878. The materials in the collection illustrate aspects of Transbaikal history in this period, with a particular emphasis on the tea trade with China, which at that time was one of the main branches of the economy of the region. The photographs show various technological processes of growing and preparing tea, sections of trade routes, as well as views of China, Mongolia, Buryatia, and various towns and villages of Transbaikal, as well as images of local people of different ethnicities and nationalities. Several of the photographs, including one of the large and imposing Russian consulate, were taken in Urga, at that time the capital of Outer Mongolia (and known today as Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia).

V.K. Arseniev Primorsky Regional Unified Museum (267 items)

Photo archive of geologist mikhail alekseevich pavlov (125 items).

A collection from the family archive of prominent geologist Mikhail Alekseevich Pavlov (1884–1938). Pavlov was born near Ekaterinburg and completed his schooling at the Nikolai Gymnasium in Tsarskoe Selo (present-day Pushkin) in 1905. He went on to study geology at Saint Petersburg University and participated in many field expeditions. While still a student, Pavlov took part in the attempted expedition to the North Pole in 1912‒14, which was led by the Arctic explorer Georgii Iakovlevich Sedov (1877–1914). Along with his school and university friend Vladimir Iul’evich Vize (1886–1954), who served as the expedition’s geographer, Pavlov collected a large body of scientific data on the northern archipelago of Novaya Zemlya. After finishing his education, Pavlov worked as a geologist and teacher of geology. He devoted most of his career to the geology of the Far East, working as an employee of the Far East Geological Committee (Dal’geolkom) in 1919–31. Pavlov was arrested in 1931 and in 1938 was executed after exhaustion prevented him from reporting for work in the labor camp where he was a prisoner. Such a fate was typical for representatives of the Russian intelligentsia in Stalinist Russia. Many photographs in this collection were taken by Pavlov himself, while others are unattributed. The photographs date from approximately 1875–1929. They depict Pavlov’s geological expeditions in Siberia and the Far East, expedition participants, views of nature, Pavlov during his school and university years, and his family members in various years.

Photographs of Georgii Iakovlevich Sedov's Expedition to the North Pole (59 items)

Senior Lieutenant Georgii Iakovlevich Sedov (1877–1914) was a hydrographer and surveyor who devoted much of his career to exploration of the Northern Sea Route north of Siberia. The son of a poor fisherman, Sedov succeeded in becoming an officer of the Imperial Russian Navy, an unprecedented achievement for someone of his modest origins. This collection, consisting of an album and individual photographs from the family archive of geologist Mikhail Alekseevich Pavlov (1884–1938), depicts the expedition undertaken by Sedov in the years 1912–14. The members of the expedition departed from Arkhangelsk in August of 1912 on the sailing vessel Saint Martyr Foka, intending to travel to Zemlya Frantsa Iosifa, from where they would attempt to reach the North Pole by dog sled. The expedition relied on private means, which contributed to the shortages of fuel and food that led to its failure. Sedov, whose health was already failing when he set out for the pole by sled in early 1914, died before reaching his objective. The members of the expedition nonetheless carried out extensive surveying and scientific observations while wintering on Novaya Zemlya in 1912–13 and made significant contributions to knowledge of northern geography. Many photographs in the collection were taken by Nikolaj Vasil’evich Pinegin (1883–1940), the artist and photographer of the expedition. Other photographs are attributed to Pavlov, the expedition’s geologist, who over the course of his career conducted a great deal of geological research in Siberia and the Russian Far East. The photographs show the expedition’s departure from Arkhangelsk, the members of the expedition on the Saint Martyr Foka, the harsh conditions endured by the expedition in winter, and views of the Arctic.

The Family of Yul Brynner Photo Album (83 items)

A collection of 82 photos from the archive of Yul Brynner (1920–85), the famous Hollywood actor, Academy Award winner, and Vladivostok native, preserved in the V.K. Arseniev Primorsky Regional Unified Museum in Vladivostok. Yul Brynner, whose real name was Iulii Borisovich Briner, was the grandson of the Vladivostok businessman and public figure of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries Iulii Ivanovich Briner (1849–1920), the owner of the lead and zinc mines in Tetiukh (present-day Dalnegorsk) and the shipping company and ship-repair shops in Vladivostok. Iulii Ivanovich had six children: Leonid, Boris, Felix, Margarita, Maria, and Nina. Boris Iul’evich (1889–1949), the father of the future Oscar-winner Yul Brynner, continued his father's business. Most of the Briner family emigrated from Primor’e (the Primorskiy region) in 1931 and lived subsequently in China, France, and the United States. The collection dates from 1923 and the photographs, from different years, depict Yul Brynner himself and his numerous relatives.

Yakutsk State Museum of the History and Culture of Northern Peoples (123 items)

Yakut material culture in ethnographic sketches of the 1920s-1940s (123 items).

A collection of ethnographic sketches created in the Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic during the 1930s–1940s. The Yakut ASSR—informally referred to as Yakutia and known today as the Sakha Republic—covered a large region in eastern Siberia. It is the historical home of the Yakut (Sakha) people, a Turkic people who arrived in the region around the 13th century and still make up almost half of its population. This collection of sketches was created by Ivan Vasil’evich Popov (1874‒1945), an artist and teacher who was born near Yakutsk and received his education in Yakutsk and Saint Petersburg. Popov was born into a family of priests who had been among the first to give sermons in the Yakut language and had taken part in the writing of a Yakut dictionary. Accordingly, some of his first works of art were icons that he painted as a seminary student. Although Popov had to work as a teacher throughout his adult life, unable to support his family through his artistic activities alone, he made a significant contribution to the documentation of Yakut material culture. In addition to recording Yakut culture in his drawings and paintings, Popov documented Yakut life in photographs and contributed to the recording of oral history and folklore. This collection of Popov’s drawings depicts Yakut material culture of the 17th‒20th centuries. Featured items include furniture, interiors and exteriors of dwellings, grave monuments, hats, footwear, tools, and hunting equipment.