Should Students Falling behind in School Take Dual Enrollment Courses? Policy Brief

N

7

At Risk Students; Dual Enrollment; High School Students; Predictor Variables; Probability; College Attendance; High School Graduates; Student Participation; Gender Differences; Racial Differences; Low Income Students; Educational Attainment; Program Effectiveness; Outcomes of Education

This study examines the effect of dual enrollment (DE) on college enrollment and degree completion for less academically prepared students who attended public high schools in Texas. The authors employ a propensity score matching method to reduce selection bias from DE participation and supplement the analysis with a bounds test. The results show that DE students were predicted to have a higher likelihood of entering college immediately after high school and completing a degree within four and eight years of high school graduation, compared to similar students who did not take DE courses. This evidence suggests that that DE programs contributed to a reduction in educational inequities in college access and degree attainment for students at risk of academic failure. On the other hand, students who were racial or ethnic minorities and students from low-income families were not only less likely to participate in DE programs but were also predicted to have smaller participation effects on college degree attainment than their counterparts, stressing the need for higher education institutions and partnering school districts to provide more robust support to these underserved students for participating in DE programs and making a successful transition into college.

ERIC

2022

ED618071