Opening Dual Enrollment: How Removing Barriers to Entry Influences the Participation of Historically Excluded Students

• In Event: Student Support Programs in High School and College

Abstract

Dual enrollment (DE) has recently been viewed as a possible intervention to increase college access for historically excluded students. Extant research shows that DE participation supports positive educational outcomes, yet DE largely remains restricted to higher-performing students due to the imposition of eligibility requirements. This study investigates one DE program that has attempted to increase access by removing eligibility requirements. Findings suggest that there is better representation of some historically excluded students, but others remain underrepresented. Further, while districts are relatively uniform in their student representation, there is considerable campus variation. Situating these results within theoretical frameworks about structures and justice, I conclude that a single policy solution is unlikely to disrupt the inequities present in a centuries-old educational structure.

Author

• Rachel S. Martin, OneGoal