Dual enrollment works when done right

Dual programs — in which high school students take college-level classes — can be effective, according to a new report, but only when done in a certain manner.  The study, conducted by the National Center for Postsecondary Research, found that students in dual enrollment programs were 12 percent more likely to go to college when the classes were taken on a university campus as opposed to a high school.

The report also showed that dual enrollment students who took classes on a college campus were also 7 percent more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree. The report found no statistically significant gains in college enrollment or degree earning when dual enrollment classes were taken solely on a high school campus.

The report’s authors suggest that dual enrollment programs could be key to improving college enrollment and completion in the U.S. — if they are executed appropriately.

“States across the nation have increasingly embraced dual enrollment as a promising intervention to help students of differing abilities and backgrounds gain college knowledge and a head start in obtaining a degree,” explains a press release for the report. “Almost one million American high school students took a college course in 2002‐03 (the last numbers available), and since then the numbers have grown. Florida is a leader in dual enrollment: every district in the state offers [dual enrollment] opportunities and, unlike in many districts across the nation, Florida students are able to accrue both college and high school credit through the program.”

The study also compared the effectiveness of dual enrollment programs and advanced placement courses. Researchers found that the two sets of courses had similar positive impacts on college enrollment. Dual enrollment students were more likely to enroll in two-year colleges first, before going to four-year colleges, but completion rates for both course sets were about the same.