The preparedness of students to enter college is an ongoing issue of national concern. The purpose of the study was to conduct a mixed method descriptive case study to answer the question: "How African-American and Hispanic High School Students in an Urban Charter High School may benefit from the Early College High School Model of receiving College Credits?" The question was examined through the lens of Bailey and Karp 2003 who explored the reason why dual-enrolled and credit-based enrollment programs could be effective. The following questions guided the study: 1. What is the impact of urban charter high school students receiving college credits under the Early College High School Model on their grade point average, completion rate, and college enrollment? 2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of urban charter high school students receiving college credits as perceived by high school and college administrators, faculty, students and parents? 3. What is the role of high school and college administrators in implementing and sustaining the Early College High School Model which successfully awards college credits to high school students? Individual interviews were conducted with high school and college administrators. Focus groups interviews were held with 5 former students, 5 parents of former students, and 6 teachers. The results were consistent with Bailey and Karp (2003) which noted that "Promoting college access and building an education foundation for success in college are widely accepted education goals" (p. 1). The research concluded that the focus group participants and individual interview participants indicated the advantages of receiving college credits outweighed the disadvantages. The following theme identifications surfaced as the advantages: * Students prepared for academic rigor of college * Realistic skills needed to be successful in college * Exploration/Experimentation expose non-traditional college bound students to college * Provide curricular options/opportunities to students through Career Exploration * Build confidence and motivation through high expectations * Economic cost saving through lower the cost of postsecondary education for students * Great partnership established good institutional relationships between the urban high school and the college * Earn College Credits/Save Time/step ahead of high school peers. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]