Policy, Place, and Possibility: Dual Enrollment Access, Growth, and Equity Challenges in California’s Central Valley

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 4:15 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Systems of Access: Structural Inequities and Opportunity Pathways Across Science, Literacy, and Mathematics

Abstract

This study examines the distribution and equity implications of dual enrollment (DE) and Advanced Placement (AP) programs in California’s Central Valley (CV), a rural, underserved region with large multilingual and Latino student populations. Using hierarchical linear modeling utilizing national and statewide data from 2015 to 2021, we compare program availability and participation across regions and student subgroups. Findings show significant growth in DE availability in the CV, narrowing historical access gaps, while AP access remained stagnant and inequitable. Participation trends were more mixed, with structural barriers such as poverty and disability consistently limiting AP access. Results highlight how place-based policy initiatives can expand opportunity, but also underscore the persistent need for systemic reform to ensure equitable college acceleration pathways.

Authors

• Zenaida Aguirre-Munoz, University of California - Merced

• Vandeen Campbell, Rutgers University - Newark

• Liantao Shan, University of California - Merced