Jobs for the Future has recently completed a study on the effectiveness of dual enrollment as a strategy to improve postsecondary outcomes in Texas. The sample consisted of 32,908 Texas students from the high school graduating class of 2004. Half of the sample completed at least one college course while in high school (treatment group), while an equal number of academically and demographically similar students did not participate in a dual enrollment course. The author’s methodology is advanced as it utilizes a propensity score matching model.
Major Findings
High school students who had completed a college course before graduation were nearly 50 percent more likely to earn a college degree from a Texas college within six years than students who had not participated in dual enrollment.
Overall, students who completed college courses through dual enrollment were significantly more likely to attend college, persist in college, and complete an Associate’s degree or higher within six years.
Here’s a table of odds ratios indicating the impact of dual enrollment on enrollment, persistence and degree completion.
These findings held for all racial groups as well as for students from low-incomes families. In fact, dual enrollees from low income families were particularly more likely to attend a four-year college in Texas after high school.
Implications
The authors identify the following implications of their study and other rigorous research on dual enrollment:
- Encouraging the dual enrollment of high school students in college courses is a way to enhance their readiness for college, including students from low-income groups and other groups underrepresented in college.
- More preparation and support for students and the use of accelerated learning strategies, such as early college schools, are needed to ensure that low-income and underrepresented students can benefit fully from dual enrollment.
- More research on dual enrollment would enable policymakers to make better strategic use of resources by determining which types of college courses and pathways have the strongest positive association with college-going outcomes.
Reference
Struhl, Ben and Vargas, Joel. (2012). Taking College Courses in High School: A Strategy for College Readiness. Washington, D.C.: Jobs for the Future.
Related posts
ISU Study Finds Positive Academic Outcomes Associated with Early College Credit
Utilizing regression analysis, propensity score analysis and logistic regression, Iowa State University released a study today associated with the academic outcomes of students entering the college with early college credit, including Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), dual enrollment (2- … Continue reading →
Understanding and Predicting Postsecondary Graduation
Clifford Adelman, a former senior research analyst at the U.S. Department of Education and now a senior associate with the Institute for Higher Education Policy, provided a major contribution to the study of degree completion in higher education with the …Continue reading →
The Strategic Value of Dual Enrollment Programs
The following first appeared in the ACTE Techniques Journal, October, 2008. There are many strategic benefits that can be derived from a partnership program between a community college and regional high schools to offer early college credit to qualified students. … Continue reading →
Dual Enrollment Benefits and Some Observations
Dual enrollment opportunities for students have been a passion of mine for a number of years. It’s a partnership program with our secondary colleagues, the State and often business/industry partners. In the following remarks I attempt to demonstrate the benefits … Continue reading →