Constrained Curricular “Choice”? An Examination of Inequalities in Dual Enrollment Course-Taking

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 3:05 pm
  In Roundtable Session: The Different Outlets of Student Support and Challenges in K–12 Education (Table 39)

Abstract

Dual enrollment (DE) is a popular initiative to improve college readiness by allowing high school students to take college-level courses for credit. However, variation in course-taking opportunities may facilitate unintended consequences where students’ DE experiences are stratified by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Indeed, there are differences in the number of courses that can be taken across degree programs, subjects, and across institutions of varying selectivity. Using data from the High School Longitudinal Survey of 2009 this study examines whether DE course-taking perpetuates rather than dilutes patterns of inequality. Results such that quantitative and qualitative distinctions of DE courses vary across groups.

Author

• George Spencer, New York University