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Dual enrollment programs, which allow high school students to enroll in college courses and earn college credit while still in high school, have increased exponentially in popularity since their introduction in the 1980s, with Texas alone seeing an over 700% increase in enrollment in the the last two decades (Troutman et al., 2018). Dual enrollment programs include: dual credit, where students earn college credit by taking a college course, but typically are not seeking a college credential; Early College High School (ECHS), where students have the opportunity to complete an associate’s degree by the time they graduate high school; and workforce programs, where students have the opportunity to complete a workforce credential (either a certification or associate’s degree) by the time they graduate high school (TEA, 2021). These programs have been recognized the local, state, and federal governments as a way to increase credential completion among the current generation of students, as participation in dual enrollment has been shown to increase rates of post-high school college enrollment and credential completion (Troutman et al., Young, 2013); in recent months, they have also been seen as a way to recoup some of the educational losses brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic (Perdue, 2021). Further, dual enrollment programs have long been viewed as a way to engage student groups that are typically underrepresented in higher education, with ECHS programs, in particular, requiring that a certain percentage of student participants be either students of color, from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, or both (TEA, 2020). Despite this design, students of color, especially Black students, enroll in dual enrollment programs at rates far lower than their peers of other racial backgrounds, and have actually seen a decrease in participation in dual enrollment where other groups have continued to see increased enrollment year after year (Taylor, 2015). This disparity in enrollment has widened the already prevalent educational achievement gap between these student groups, leading to discussions and research investigating whether current dual enrollment programs are equitable in their approaches to recruitment and retention of students of color (Troutman et. al, 2018, Taylor, 2015, Garcia et al., 2020).

I chose this topic because I currently work as an Academic Success Manager in the High School Programs department at Austin Community College (ACC), which houses all of the dual enrollment programs at ACC. ACC is designated as a Minority-Serving Institution, meaning many of our policies and goals are focused on promoting access for students from minority backgrounds, which is how I became aware of and interested in this program. This legal guide is designed to help current and future dual enrollment practitioners, including both faculty and staff, understand the issue of equity in dual enrollment, its potential legal implications, and best practices for increasing access to dual enrollment programs for students of color, ensuring the building of a more equitable educational system that promotes equal educational access for all.

References:

Garcia, H. A., Eicke, D., McNaughtan, J., & Harwood, Y. (2020). Understanding dual credit  programs: Perspectives from faculty, staff, and administrators. Community College  Journal of Research and Practice, 44(8), 584–594.

Perdue, B. (2021). Perdue: Dual Enrollment can help fix the high school-to-college pathway for students hit hardest by covid-19. Perdue: Dual Enrollment Can Help Fix the High School-to-College Pathway for Students Hit Hardest by COVID-19. Retrieved March 4, 2022, from https://www.the74million.org/article/perdue-dual-enrollment-can-help-fix-the-high-school-to-college-pathway-for-students-hit-hardest-by-covid-19/

Taylor, J. L. (2015). Accelerating pathways to college: The (in)equitable effects of community college dual credit. Community College Review, 43(4), 355–379.

Texas Education Agency. (2020). Dual Credit. Texas Education Agency.

https:// tea.texas.gov/academics/college-career-and-military-prep/dual-credit.

Texas Education Agency. (2021). Early college high school (ECHS). Texas Education Agency. Retrieved March 4, 2022, from https://tea.texas.gov/academics/college-career-and-military-prep/early-college-high-school-echs

Troutman, D. R., Hendrix-Soto, A., Creusere, M., & Mayer, E. (2018). (rep.). Dual Credit and Success in College (pp. 1–159). Austin, TX: The University of Texas System.

Young Jr., R. D., Slate, J. R., Moore, G. W., & Barnes, W. (2013). Dual credit enrollment: a  multiyear study of gender and ethnic differences. Urban Studies Research, 1-7.

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To better understand how the issue of underrepresentation of students of color in dual enrollment is currently affecting the field, I interviewed Jason Sanchez, the current Interim Director of High School Programs Enrollment and Partnerships at ACC. Sanchez and his team handle the recruitment and onboarding of all ACC dual enrollment students, the creation of partnerships with school districts and community organizations to build access pipelines for these students, and the evaluation and addressing of barriers to entry for dual enrollment students (J. Sanchez, personal communication, March 1, 2022). According to Sanchez (2022), the gap in enrollment among students of different races in dual enrollment programs is a critical topic in the field currently, with ACC listing achieving equity in enrollment as one of its strategic goals over the next five years, (ACC, 2022); currently, dual enrollment students make up almost 20% of ACC’s overall student enrollment, which Sanchez (2022) stated means the college is relying on the High School Programs department to make significant strides towards achieving this goal. Similar strategic goals to increase equity can be seen across the state, especially as state officials increasingly rely on dual enrollment programs to meet statewide credential completion initiatives like 60x30TX, which aims to have 60% of the population of Texas aged 25-34 complete a college credential by 2030 (J. Sanchez, personal communication, March 1. 2022; THECB, 2022).

To meet these equity metrics, Sanchez (2022) states that it is important to understand why students of color, who make up a significant portion of the Texas high school student population, are not enrolling at a rate that is representative of their percentage of the population; further,, if there are barriers in place that are preventing these students from accessing dual enrollment in a way that is equitable to their peers, Sanchez (2022) states it is the responsibility of dual enrollment practitioners to work diligently to remove them and create a more equitable dual enrollment system. To reduce these barriers and increase equitable access to dual enrollment for students of color at ACC, Sanchez (2022) and his team have employed several best practices that can be replicated in other dual enrollment programs.

Best Practices:

Dual enrollment practitioners should widen the scope of their recruitment practices. In order to better reach students of color, Sanchez stated his team began offering dual enrollment information sessions at the ACC campuses located in regions of the service area with the highest populations of residents of color. Additionally, they began offering these sessions online (to remove the barrier of transportation) and in Spanish (to remove the barrier of language. Finally, they notified families of the existence of these sessions through a mail out to all families with students in the service area in an effort to eliminate the selection bias that potentially existed when going through counselors and school administrators to notify students about the sessions (J. Sanchez, personal communication, March 1, 2022)

Dual enrollment practitioners should remove barriers to entry for students. When reviewing application and enrollment data, Sanchez realized that there were a large number of students of color who were applying to ACC, but were not enrolling in courses due to not passing the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA), a college readiness exam that students must pass in order to enroll in dual enrollment courses at ACC (J. Sanchez, personal communication, March 1, 2022). To address this, Sanchez and his team created a week-long TSIA Bootcamp, which provided students with academic instruction and materials to better help students prepare for the TSIA (J. Sanchez, personal communication, March 1, 2022). When recruiting students for this bootcamp, Sanchez targeted his efforts on schools with both high populations of students of color and low dual enrollment participation rates to ensure they were increasing educational equity for the targeted student populations (J. Sanchez, personal communication, March 1, 2022).

Dual enrollment practitioners should create vertical pipelines to increase access to dual enrollment programs. After speaking with high school students, counselors, and administrators about causes for underrenrollment of certain student populations in dual enrollment courses, Sanchez (2022) stated he learned that many students of color were choosing not to enroll in dual enrollment programs because they did not see themselves represented in the programs, and therefore they felt like they would not be able to succeed. Additionally, many students stated they chose not to enroll because their friends were not participating (J. Sanchez, personal communication, March 1, 2022). To combat this, Sanchez has begun to develop a recruitment pipeline from middle school to high school that focuses on developing a sense of inclusion for students of color in dual enrollment (J. Sanchez, personal communication, March 1, 2022). Currently, his team is accomplishing this goal through the facilitation of two summer camps that bring middle school students (with an emphasis on middle school students of color) from the ACC service area to an ACC campus for several weeks of activities, with one camp focused on STEM curriculum and the other focused on career readiness (J. Sanchez, personal communication, March 1, 2022). While neither of these camps are explicitly dual enrollment-focused, they allow the High School Programs Enrollment and Partnerships team, who run the camps, to develop relationships with the students and begin to have discussions about participating in ACC’s dual enrollment program in the future; additionally, they allow these students an opportunity to familiarize themselves with life on a college campus and begin to visualize themselves there as dual enrollment students, all while fostering friendships with other students at the camp who can eventually serve as a community of support if the student chooses to enroll in the dual enrollment program (J. Sanchez, personal communication, March 1, 2022).

An area of emerging interest within the topic of equity in dual enrollment is the effect that COVID-19 will have on the enrollment trends for students of color in dual enrollment programs. Sanchez (2022) stated that ACC’s High School Programs department saw its first ever decrease in overall enrollment in dual enrollment programs in the fall 2021 semester, with Black and Hispanic students experiencing a larger decline in enrollment than their peers. While Sanchez is hopeful this trend will not continue, he stated that the pandemic has exposed many inequities in ACC’s dual enrollment program that affected students of color, in particular (J. Sanchez, personal communication, March 1, 2022). For example, many of these students lived in rural areas, where there was little access to internet; with schools and ACC campuses closed, and no access to internet, potential new students were unable to take the TSIA to demonstrate college readiness, therefore missing their opportunity to enroll in dual enrollment courses (J. Sanchez, personal communication, March 1, 2022). Sanchez (2002) stated that an even greater concern for dual enrollment programs is the effect the pandemic, and it’s subsequent disruptions to learning, will have on future cohorts of dual enrollment students. Students of color, according to Sanchez (2022), were once again disproportionately impacted by these challenges, with many missing crucial middle school and high school instruction due to lack of internet access and increased familial responsibilities, like caring for younger siblings or sick relatives while their parents were at work. For these students, who already struggle to demonstrate college readiness, missing this instruction can set them even further behind their peers, creating another barrier to achieving their right to equitable educational access (J. Sanchez, personal communication, March 1, 2022).

Interviewee Bio:

Jason Sanchez has been employed at Austin Community College for close to 12 years. He is currently the Interim Director of  the Enrollment & Partnerships division under the College and High School Relations Department. His office serves as an information resource for all High School programs, policies, procedures, and materials as it relates to the onboarding, recruitment and enrollment processes. As Director, he helps develop, coordinate and deliver ACCTech, Career Academy, Dual Credit & Early College High School programs and enrollment services for high school partners. Jason is also an Adjunct Faculty member of the Student Development Department teaching Effective Learning Strategies.

In 2014, Jason earned a Master of Education in Student Development and Leadership in Higher Education from Angelo State University. He also earned an Academic Advising Certificate from Angelo State University. Jason earned a certificate of completion from ACC’s Leadership Academy in 2014 and certificate of completion from ACC's Supervisor Series Certificate program in 2016. In 2020, he earned a certificate of completion from the Civitas Leadership Academy. Jason currently is participating in the Leadership Academy for National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships. Jason has an Associate’s in Liberal Arts from Austin Community College and a Bachelor’s in English from Texas State University.

From February 2018 to August 2019, Jason served as President of the Association of Professional-Technical Employees representing over 700 employees. In July 2020, he was awarded the Professional-Technical Employee of the Year award.

References:

Austin Community College. (2022). Austin Community College District. Strategic Plan | Austin Community College District. Retrieved March 4, 2022, from https://www.austincc.edu/business-community/strategic-plan

THECB. (2022). Texas higher education strategic plan: 2015–2030. 60x30TX. Retrieved March 5, 2022, from https://reportcenter.highered.texas.gov/agency-publication/miscellaneous/thecb-60x30-strategic-plan/

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The National Alliance for Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) is the accrediting body for dual enrollment programs. While a dual enrollment program does not need to be accredited through NACEP (most programs are, in fact, only accredited through their institutional accrediting body), the organization serves in an additional role as a resource for best practices in the field of dual enrollment. NACEP (2021), in partnership with the Executive Alliance of High Schools, discusses methods for increasing access to dual enrollment courses for students of color through the advancing of targeted and specific educational policies at the state level (NACEP, 2021). As it stands now, 27% of Black students and 30% of Hispanic students in the U.S. are participating in dual enrollment, compared to 38% of both White and Asian students (NACEP, 2021). To overcome this disparity, NACEP (2021) recommends the introduction and passage of state policies that address barriers like transportation (to high school and college campuses), lack of program availability at high schools in areas with high populations of students of color, and eligibility criteria for participating in dual enrollment programs, all of which disproportionately impact students of color. This article provides a roadmap of best practices for increasing access to dual enrollment programs at the state legislative level.

References:

NACEP. (2021). Unlocking potential: A state policy roadmap for equity & quality in college in high school programs. UNLOCKING POTENTIAL: A State Policy Roadmap for Equity & Quality in College in High School Programs – National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships. Retrieved March 4, 2022, from https://www.nacep.org/resource-center/unlocking-potential-a-state-policy-roadmap-for-equity-quality-in-college-in-high-school-programs/

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Dual enrollment works. but who is it working for? (Weissman, 2020)

https://www.diverseeducation.com/latest-news/article/15106606/dual-enrollment-works-but-who-is-it-working-for

Dual enrollment courses increase college enrollment and credential completion rates for participating students; however, Black and Hispanic students participate in dual enrollment programs at rates far lower than their peers of other races (Weissman, 2020).

Variability between dual enrollment programs, specifically in terms of availability of programs, student supports offered within the programs, eligibility criteria, and the cost of the programs is a major contributing factor to the lower enrollment rates for Black and Hispanic students (Weissman, 2020).

Dual enrollment models with increased levels of built-in student support, like ECHS models, have been shown to increase enrollment and retention rates for students of color in dual enrollment; however, these programs are more costly than traditional high school models, which can lead to hesitation in investment at the district level (Weissman, 2020).

Dual enrollment programs, especially those in urban areas, are often underfunded and lack the resources to provide the additional support necessary for underrepresented students in these programs; additionally, these programs are often supported by community colleges with their own thinly-stretched resources, leading to a lack of equitable recruitment and support for students attending high schools with these specific programs (Weissman, 2020).

To increase the enrollment and persistence rates for Black and Hispanic students to a level that is equitable to that of their peers of other races, dual enrollment practitioners must advocate for state agencies to establish clear equity goals for dual enrollment, develop consistent practices across programs at the state and national level, and provide additional funding for targeted recruitment plans and student supports for these populations (Weissman, 2020).

References:

Weissman, S. (2020, April 9). Dual enrollment works. but who is it working for? Diverse Issues in Higher Education. Retrieved March 4, 2022, from https://www.diverseeducation.com/latest-news/article/15106606/dual-enrollment-works-but-who-is-it-working-for

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Pandemic reduces number of high school students taking Dual Enrollment courses (Villarreal, 2021)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2021/04/03/covid-lowers-number-high-school-students-taking-college-courses/4836206001/

The COVID-19 pandemic has lowered the number of high school students enrolling and persisting in dual enrollment courses (Villarreal, 2021).

Black and Hispanic students were hit especially hard by COVID-19, impacting their ability to enroll in and complete dual enrollment courses, of which they were already enrolling and persisting in at rates lower than their peers (Villarreal, 2021).

Several obstacles impacted the enrollment and persistence of these students: lack of technology for online courses, lack of transportation to campuses or libraries with internet access, economic hardships that forced students to take on the time commitment of additional jobs to support their families, and COVID-related illnesses and death, which disproportionately affected communities of color (Villarreal, 2021).

These lowered enrollment rates during COVID-19 will potentially impact students’ likelihood of accessing postsecondary education after high school graduation; additionally, these lowered persistence rates may impact students” ability to complete a college credential, both of which are benefits of dual enrollment participation that were lost to students who did not enroll or persist during this time period (Villarreal, 2021).

The full effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on dual enrollment, and particularly on students of color in dual enrollment, remain to be seen, but there is a clear impact on the accessibility of college for these students (Villarreal, 2021).

References:

Villarreal, A. (2021, April 3). Pandemic reduces number of high school students taking Dual Enrollment courses. USA Today. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2021/04/03/covid-lowers-number-high-school-students-taking-college-courses/4836206001/

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Like many students taking college courses during the coronavirus pandemic, Alexis Lopez struggled with a poor Wi-Fi connection and professors who didn't offer much support.

"They couldn't really help us. They didn't really know what to do for us," said Lopez, who remembers becoming so frustrated in front of her computer that she burst out crying. "We had to do everything by ourselves."

Unlike most college-goers, however, Lopez, who lives in Bastrop, Texas, is still a senior in high school. And the problems forced her to withdraw from two of these classes, saddling her with two unwanted W's on her transcript.

"I've never had to withdraw from a course until the pandemic hit," she said. "That's what I didn't want."

At 18, Lopez is among what varying estimates say is 10% to 34% of high school students who take college-level courses that give them a head start on credits, save time and money, and prepare them for the demands of higher education.

But the number of students enrolling in and passing these classes has started slipping - dramatically, in some places - suggesting a potential decline ahead in the number of high school students who end up going to college. For those who do go, it means earning a degree could take longer and cost more.

"It definitely throws them off track," said Samuel West, District P-16 director at Houston Community College.

The increasingly popular practice of taking college courses while in high school - an umbrella that includes dual credit, concurrent enrollment and early college programs - is often a free or low-cost way of accruing college credits, sometimes shaving two years off the time it takes to get an undergraduate degree.

Dual enrollment also increases the likelihood that students will go to college, research suggests. A Colorado study found that those who took dual and concurrent enrollment courses were 23% more likely to enroll in college than their classmates who didn't. They also do better once they get there: Students who took dual credit before going to four public universities in Texas were more likely than their peers to earn bachelor's degrees within six years, another study found.

Participating in dual enrollment "helps students move their gaze from a few feet in front of them to a point further on out on the horizon and start on that road," said Amy Williams, executive director of the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships.
COVID and schools: Kids going back to school in a pandemic are met with another trauma: Active shooter drills
As the U.S. enters the second year of an economic downturn caused by COVID-19, dual enrollment offers a way for students to earn degrees and certificates they need to boost job prospects while saving money. Three in 10 students in early college have already earned an associate degree or other postsecondary credential when they finish high school, Jobs for the Future reports.

"When times are tough, students get very considerate about what are the education pathways that are going to result in them being able to get themselves a good-paying job as quickly as possible," said Alex Perry, coordinator of the College in High School Alliance.

But while dual credit, concurrent enrollment and early college courses could help young people overcome financial and educational obstacles linked to the public health crisis, the infrastructure that makes them possible has been facing its own challenges during a year of shuttered campuses and surging infections.

As colleges reconvened for their first full semester during the pandemic in the fall, undergraduate enrollment among students under 18 - a proxy for college in high school - was essentially flat after a big increase the year before. By the spring, enrollment for that age group had declined by nearly 3%.

"Generally, if fewer students are taking dual enrollment, that's likely to be a net negative for college access and enrollment after a student graduates high school," Perry said.

The trend hit unevenly across the country, with some colleges seeing increases while others suffered double-digit nosedives. In Idaho, for example, the number of students taking dual enrollment courses through Boise State University plummeted by 37% in the fall. Idaho State University and the University of Idaho also reported significant drops.

During a chaotic and uncertain academic year, some courses also "just weren't offered because we couldn't guarantee that [students] were going to be in school," said Mercedes Pour, director of college access for the Maine Community College System.

Even when dual enrollment programs were available, high schoolers grappling with remote learning sometimes didn't do as well as they wanted to, administrators said.

Success rates dropped during the fall in courses offered by Austin Community College in Texas when students withdrew more often than usual. Part of the problem is that high school students haven't had as much time to study after taking jobs during the recession, said Mison Zuñiga, ACC's interim associate vice president of college and high school relations.

"We just are seeing things that we've not seen in a long time for high school students, that are just a part of what this pandemic has definitely brought to surface," Zuñiga said.

Other high school students taking college coursework had a hard time shifting to remote learning. Still others were dissuaded from taking additional credits because of the potential effect on their academic records of a bad grade or withdrawal.

Bryan Gonzalez-Alcantar, a junior who, like Lopez, goes to Colorado River Collegiate Academy in Bastrop, Texas, wanted to take advanced summer courses last year until his counselor recommended against it, worried that extra classes not required for his degree could affect his grade point average.

"It does slow me down a little, since now I have to take them this summer instead of last summer," Gonzalez-Alcantar said.

The fallout from poor performance can be serious. Dual enrollment students are creating a college GPA, and if they fail a class, they could incur debt retaking it after high school, find themselves ineligible for financial aid because of rules about maintaining satisfactory academic progress or lose their competitive edge for admission and scholarships that comes with successful college course completion in high school.
'Expectations are no different':Students are struggling to read behind masks and screens during COVID-19
"That academic record follows them for the rest of their lives," said West of Houston Community College.

Success rates at HCC dipped from 89% in 2019 to 85% last fall for regular dual credit students and from 80% to 74% for those in early college high school programs, according to the college's data. Male students of color struggled the most with classes, West said, as did students whose courses shifted to a format that could be completed at any time, instead of being offered on a specific schedule.

Black and Latino students already participate in dual enrollment at lower rates than their white counterparts. Some students can't afford tuition, fees or transportation costs where they're required, or they go to high schools that provide them with comparatively poor preparation, according to the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. (The Hechinger Report, which produced this story, is an independent unit of Teachers College.)

Amid COVID-19, Black Americans and Latinos have also faced disproportionately higher rates of economic hardship, hospitalization and death from the virus. Meanwhile, students of all backgrounds have suffered mental health challenges including depression and anxiety, the mental health awareness nonprofit Active Minds found in a survey.

"This is a time where I'm not sure people should be taking on a little bit more, and that's what dual enrollment is. You know, it's a little bit more on top of your secondary curriculum," said Pour of the Maine Community College System.

Near the beginning of the pandemic, Lopez cared for her grandfather after he got sick and then broke his hip in a fall, washing him and changing his diapers while trying to manage schoolwork.
This story was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for our higher education newsletter.
When she was at home and had access to a vehicle over the last year, she often would drive to a library or parking lot, then lock herself inside her car for reliable Wi-Fi. People weren't wearing masks inside buildings, she said, and she preferred to study alone.

"I just wanted my year to be better," she said. "I just wanted to go to school."

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Pandemic reduces number of high school students taking dual enrollment courses

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Like many students taking college courses during the coronavirus pandemic, Alexis Lopez struggled with a poor Wi-Fi connection and professors who didn't offer much support. "They couldn't really help us. They didn't really know what to do for us," said Lopez, who remembers becoming so frustrated in front of her computer that she burst out crying.

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14th Amendment (U.S. Const. Amend. XIV § 1)

https://www.senate.gov/civics/constitution_item/constitution.htm#amdt_14_(1868)

The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution stipulates that all citizens of the United States, regardless of race or ethnicity, are awarded equal access to “life, liberty, and property” (U.S. Const. Amend. XIV § 1).

Under this amendment, education is considered a property, and therefore all citizens are entitled to equal and unimpeded access to an education and the opportunities therein (U.S. Const. Amend. XIV § 1).

As it relates to this issue, dual enrollment programs must ensure that they are not impeding access to these programs through policies and program designs that inequitably prevent students of color from enrolling in these programs. Examples of these policies could include eligibility criteria, program cost, and transportation barriers, all of which disproportionately exclude students of color while favoring their peers.

References:

(U.S. Const. Amend. XIV § 1)

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Early College Education Program, Tex. Educ. Code § 29.908 (2003 & rev. 2013).

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.29.htm#29.908

The Early College Education Program Statute in the Texas Education Code established what is today known as the Early College High School (ECHS) program, which created a pathway for students to finish an associate’s degree through a partnering institution of higher education while still in high school (Tex. Educ. Code § 29.908).

The statute stipulates that all ECHS programs must be governed by an articulation agreement between the school district and the partnering institution of higher education (Tex. Educ. Code § 29.908).

Additionally, the statute states that these programs should specifically target students who are “at risk of dropping out of school” as defined by Tex. Educ. Code § 29.081. This category includes students who:

Are bilingual

Have previously failed a high school core curriculum course,

Are pregnant/parents

Are homeless

Have previously been expelled or placed in an alternative education programs

Are the child of an incarcerated parent

Are enrolled in a designated dropout recovery district or school (Tex. Educ. Code § 29.081).

According to IDRA (2022), Black and Hispanic students are almost twice as likely to drop out of high school than their White peers, meaning they are the targeted demographic for the programs established in this mandate.

To keep in line with the mandates of this statute, dual enrollment practitioners must ensure these programs are accessible to the students of color that the statute aims to target.

References:

Dropout Prevention Strategies, Tex. Educ. Code § 29.081 (2007 & rev. 2019).

Early College Education Program, Tex. Educ. Code § 29.908 (2003 & rev. 2013).

IDRA. (2022, February 7). Attrition and dropout rates in Texas. IDRA. Retrieved March 4, 2022, from https://www.idra.org/research_articles/attrition-dropout-rates-texas/

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Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954)

https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep347/usrep347483/usrep347483.pdf

In Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the previously established “separate but equal” doctrine, which allowed segregation of U.S. schools to continue unchecked, was unconstitutional.

This ruling led to the integration of U.S. schools and established that all students were entitled to equitable educational opportunities (Brown v. Board of Education, 1954).

To uphold the requirements of this judicial law, schools must ensure that educational practices are equitable and do not contribute to de facto segregation, meaning students are segregated despite mandates to the contrary. This segregation can happen, potentially unintentionally, if inequitable policies and practices are in place.

This law is important to the issue of inequity in dual enrollment as, if the trend of lower enrollment of students of color continues, it could be viewed as de facto segregation and an infringement on the rights of students to receive an integrated, equitable educational experience. Dual enrollment practitioners must ensure that there are no barriers to access that disproportionately impact students of color and could lead to the violation of this right to education.

References:

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954)

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Dual Credit Requirements (19 Tex. Admin. Code § 4.85)

https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=T&app=2&p_dir=P&p_rloc=158398&p_tloc=&p_ploc=1&pg=15&p_tac=187585&ti=19&pt=1&ch=4&rl=81&z_chk=1204402

The Texas Administrative Code outlines the eligibility requirements for students participating in dual enrollment programs (19 Tex. Admin. Code § 4.85).

According to the code, all high school students in the state of Texas are eligible to participate in dual enrollment programs as long as they demonstrate college readiness through passing the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA) or by achieving the minimum passing score on another accepted college readiness assessment (including STAAR, EOC exams, PSAT, ACT, and SAT) (19 Tex. Admin. Code § 4.85).

Under this code, students who show readiness through one of these measures must be permitted to register for dual enrollment courses, if they so choose (19 Tex. Admin. Code § 4.85).

These readiness exams, however, can unfairly penalize students of color, who are more likely to attend schools with fewer resources, less experienced teachers, and lower levels of the academically rigorous curriculum required to achieve minimum passing standards on these exams (IDRA, 2022). As such, this entry requirement can serve as a barrier to enrollment for these students that should be addressed by dual enrollment practitioners.

References:

Dual Credit Requirements, 19 Tex. Admin. Code § 4.85 (2003 & rev. 2019).

IDRA. (2022, February 7). Attrition and dropout rates in Texas. IDRA. Retrieved March 4, 2022, from https://www.idra.org/research_articles/attrition-dropout-rates-texas/

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Elgin ECHS Handbook

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y6rNTs1zzZif_DNqGJ0_buFSGn9g01yzsKC_cjysjcg/edit?usp=sharing

Recruitment efforts are a joint process between the institution of higher education and the partnering school district; therefore, policies promoting equitable recruitment practices at either institution will benefit the other in terms of increasing dual enrollment participation for students of color. Elgin Early College High School, an ECHS in Elgin, Texas, explicitly states in their ECHS Student/Parent Handbook that, during recruitment for cohorts of incoming dual enrollment students, “focus will be placed on recruiting students that are historically underrepresented in college enrollment,” including students of color (Elgin ECHS, 2021, p. 1). By explicitly stating that recruitment efforts will target these students, this school is demonstrating their commitment to increasing access to dual enrollment for students of color; further. Elgin ECHS is demonstrating that they recognize and acknowledge that these populations of students are underenrolled when compared to the overall demographic makeup of the district, and are taking steps to address the issue and increase enrollment among these groups.

References:

Elgin ECHS. (2021). Elgin ECHS Handbook. Elgin ECHS. Retrieved March 4, 2022, from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y6rNTs1zzZif_DNqGJ0_buFSGn9g01yzsKC_cjysjcg/edit?usp=sharing

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CAS - Justice Ethical Principle

https://www.cas.edu/files/CASethicsstatement.pdf?mc_cid=467ed5fe4a&mc_eid=052333efc4

The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) Statement of Shared Ethical Principles (2006) states that one of the critical ethical standards in higher education is that of Justice and the promotion of inclusion for all students (CAS, 2006). Specifically, the Justice ethical principle states that higher education administrators, in the pursuit of this inclusion and fairness, must strive to remove barriers that prevent students of any background from achieving the same level of learning and development as their peers (CAS, 2006); in this case, the Justice principle would dictate that dual enrollment practitioners actively work to eliminate the barriers that impede access to dual enrollment courses and programs for students of color.

References:

Council for the Advancement of Standards. (2006). CAS professional standards for higher education (6th Ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

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Slide 12: Personal Connection to the Legal and Ethical Standards

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Slide 12: Personal Connection to the Legal and Ethical Standards

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As a white dual enrollment practitioner, who did not participate in a dual enrollment program in my own high school years, I found it especially critical to explore the issue of disparities in dual enrollment participation further in order to more effectively support and advocate for the students I now serve who, by nature of the region my caseload covers, are predominantly students of color. My educational journey, and the journeys of many other dual enrollment practitioners, was different than that of my students, and we are bound by our ethical standards to seek to understand the unique challenges our students face; further, we are ethically and legally bound to protect the rights to equitable education for these students, and to remove the barriers that prevent that equitable access and impede those rights (CAS, 2006). Exploring this issue allowed me to better contextualize my role in creating access for students of color in dual enrollment programs, and how that role is informed by my field’s ethical principles and federal, state, and local laws; this has allowed me to better support my students and begin to reshape our institutional systems in order to promote greater educational access. I believe, therefore, that anyone seeking to work with this population of students in the field of dual enrollment should also take the time to reflect on the ways that the legal and ethical principles related to this issue influence their role in order to better serve their students.

References:

Council for the Advancement of Standards. (2006). CAS professional standards for higher education (6th Ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

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Slide 13: Best Practices & Recommendations for Compliance

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Slide 13: Best Practices & Recommendations for Compliance

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Recognizing and understanding the disparity in enrollment for students of color in dual enrollment programs is crucial to expanding access and building more equitable programs for current and future dual enrollment students. Currently, some recommendations for best practices that promote this equitable educational access to dual enrollment programs for students of color are:

Targeted Recruitment: Practitioners should employ recruitment strategies that allow them to better reach communities of color. This could include attending community organization events for recruitment purposes; hosting online recruitment sessions; hosting recruitment sessions on nights and weekends and in locations that are accessible to communities of color; and creating recruitment materials in English and Spanish, along with hosting recruitment sessions in Spanish.

Expansion of Eligibility Criteria: Practitioners should advocate for adjustments to state policy that expands (or removes) eligibility criteria like the TSIA, which serves as a barrier to students who may not have had access to the test preparation resources of their peers. This could be achieved by evaluating multiple measures of assessment for college readiness rather than just the TSIA (for example, taking into account students’ high school GPA or class rank when determining the minimum TSIA score for determining college readiness).

Increased Test Preparation Resources: Practitioners, in understanding that college readiness requirements may be slow to change, should advocate for the creation of college readiness test resources that can be delivered to interested students of color in order to help them succeed in passing the TSIA. These resources can include everything from online materials and videos to practice exams and intensive in-person instruction, depending on the financial resources of the program. Creation of these resources would narrow the gap in preparation between these students and their peers, potentially bringing their passing of the TSIA and, by extension, their access to enrollment in these programs, up to an equitable level.

Increased Funding: Practitioners should also advocate for increased funding for dual enrollment programs in areas that service high populations of students of color, as research shows these students often need additional supports in order to enroll and succeed (Garcia, 2020; Taylor, 2015). To lobby for this additional funding, practitioners can explain how dual enrollment programs, as they currently stand, are exclusionary of students of color, thereby violating these students’ right to an equitable education and, in the most severe cases, leading to de facto segregation based on the design of the program.

Increased Availability of Quality Programming: In some areas, the issue is not that students of color are not enrolling in dual enrollment programs; rather, the issue is that there are no dual enrollment programs in which these students can enroll, thereby impeding their right to an equal education in a different way. Practitioners should advocate for availability of dual enrollment programs in all districts, and should establish a statewide set of standards that these programs must meet to ensure that all students have access to equitable, quality dual enrollment programming.

Alignment of Standards and Goals Statewide: Currently, standards for dual enrollment programs vary statewide, leading to inconsistencies in access and program delivery across the state (Ed Trust, 2021). Further, Texas does not have a standard set of equity goals for dual enrollment that could be used to guide future policy (Ed Trust, 2021). To ensure consistency for students across the state, and to better advocate for the equal access to education across the state, policy makers should align the standards of all dual enrollment programs in Texas and develop a set of equity goals on which to base future policy related to enrollment gaps for students of color in dual enrollment.

Development of a Pipeline: Practitioners should strive to develop a pipeline into dual enrollment programs that starts prior to students entering high school. If students are introduced to the idea of dual enrollment at a younger age, they will have more time to develop an interest in the program and will have more opportunity to prepare for the college readiness assessments; this additional time could make a sizable difference for students attending an underresourced school, as it would give their parents and school staff time to potentially procure resources and adjust curriculum to better prepare them for the assessment. Additionally, introducing dual enrollment at a younger age gives students of color, who may not see themselves reflected in current dual enrollment students or staff, time to adjust to the idea of participation in these programs, fostering the beginnings of a sense of belonging (which can be further developed by dual enrollment staff over time) that can motivate them to persist through any obstacles to enrollment.

Fostering a sense of belonging in dual enrollment programs is essential for encouraging the enrollment and persistence of students of color in these programs, and by taking the time to gain a better understanding of the obstacles to access these students face, the best practices for removing them, and the legal and ethical implications of refusing to do so, we can begin to create a dual enrollment system that is more welcoming, inclusive, and equitable, thereby ensuring all students’ promised rights to an equal education are met.

References:

Ed Trust. (2021, April 13). Improving equity in college and Career Readiness Outcomes in Texas. The Education Trust. Retrieved March 4, 2022, from https://edtrust.org/resource/improving-equity-in-college-and-career-readiness-outcomes-in-texas/

Garcia, H. A., Eicke, D., McNaughtan, J., & Harwood, Y. (2020). Understanding dual credit  programs: Perspectives from faculty, staff, and administrators. Community College  Journal of Research and Practice, 44(8), 584–594.

Taylor, J. L. (2015). Accelerating pathways to college: The (in)equitable effects of community college dual credit. Community College Review, 43(4), 355–379.