Dual Enrollment Participation among Career and Technical Students in Delaware

• In Event: Frontier Evidence on How Dual Enrollment Benefits Students and Communities: Evidence from States and National Data.

Abstract

Dual enrollment programs have been linked to broadly positive student outcomes, including increased college enrollment and completion (e.g., Allen & Dadgar, 2012; Jones, 2014; Lee et al., 2022). These courses primarily focus on academic subjects, which account for roughly 70% of dual enrollment offerings nationwide (Thomas et al., 2013). On the other hand, a growing number of high school students take courses in career and technical education (CTE) subjects, which provide them early exposure to specific career paths, helping them make more informed decisions about their postsecondary education and careers. One concern with CTE, though, is the potential for students to be channeled into vocational tracks that may limit broader educational opportunities. Prior research has found that while CTE participation is associated with higher high school graduation rates and employment opportunities, it is also associated with lower four-year college enrollment rates (Dougherty, 2018; Brunner, Dougherty, & Ross, 2021). As the need for a well-educated workforce continues to grow, greater attention is needed on programs that help bridge high school, postsecondary education, and careers—particularly for students on CTE pathways.

This study examines dual enrollment participation among CTE students in Delaware, a state recognized for having one of the most established, comprehensive, and widely utilized CTE systems. Over 70% of high school students in Delaware enroll in a CTE program of study, and more than 60% of graduating seniors complete one. The state has actively worked to strengthen the rigor of its CTE curriculum by aligning it with postsecondary coursework. Notably, Delaware’s partnerships with the community college system have allowed high school seniors to engage in college-level, career-focused coursework before graduation.

Using Delaware’s integrated administrative data system, which links student records from K-12 through postsecondary education and into the labor market, we examine patterns of dual enrollment participation among CTE students. We find significant disparities in dual enrollment and CTE dual enrollment participation across demographic groups and career clusters. While participation gaps among CTE concentrators were slightly smaller than among students overall, Black, Hispanic, low-income, and special education students remained underrepresented relative to their share of the student population. Both individual- and school-level factors contributed to these disparities. While prior academic achievement accounted for part of the racial/ethnic and socioeconomic participation gaps, gender disparities persisted even after controlling for academic performance and school fixed effects.

To better understand the causal impact of dual enrollment on post–high school outcomes, we employ a regression discontinuity design that uses cumulative GPA as the eligibility threshold for participation. We find that CTE students just above the GPA cutoff—who therefore had significant higher participation in dual enrollment—were also significantly more likely to enroll in postsecondary education after high school than similar peers just below the cutoff.

We will discuss the implications of these findings for improving equity in access to dual enrollment and expanding postsecondary opportunities for CTE students during the session.

Author

• Florence Xiaotao Ran, University of Delaware
  Presenting Author