Broadening the Benefits of Dual Enrollment

Posted by on May 06, 2013

Dual enrollment delivers

A new, three-year study from the James Irvine Foundation tracking outcomes for 3,000 students across California found that career-focused dual-enrollment programs yield important benefits for those who are underachieving and underrepresented in higher education. The Concurrent Courses initiative is comprised of eight programs involving 10 colleges and 21 high schools. Sixty percent of the students in the study were students of color, and 40 percent came from non-English-speaking homes. Compared with other students in their districts, program participants were more likely to graduate from high school; more likely to transition to a four-year college rather than a two-year college; less likely to take basic-skills courses in college; more likely to persist in postsecondary education; and accumulated more college credits. The study recommends that policymakers remove funding penalties, so neither participating institution loses its per-pupil funding for dually enrolled students; make dual-credit earning consistent and portable; and standardize broad student eligibility. It also recommends that institutions continue to make dual enrollment available on both high school and college campuses; explore ways to ensure authenticity of the high school-based program format; provide professional development to dual-enrollment instructors; identify dedicated college staff to smooth logistical challenges; and obtain student consent to share college records.

http://www.concurrentcourses.org/publications.html