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What Role Can Dual Enrollment Programs Play in Easing the Transition between High School and Postsecondary Education?
While there is still a great deal of progress to be made, more high school graduates are better-prepared for further education than previously. Many believe that a continuation of the standards movement, supported by increased teacher training, will bring about further improvement (Jennings & Rentner, 1998). Yet even with an upgraded high school curriculum, school district requirements for graduation still often fall short of those for college entry and success (The Education Trust, 1999). The National Commission on the High School Senior Year (2001) reported that only ten states have aligned their high school graduation and college admissions requirements in English, and only two have done so in math. That report also gives examples of how high school exit and college entrance examinations often use different formats and emphasize different content (The National Commission on the High School Senior Year, 2001). Some analysts argue that the open door policy at community colleges, and even at many four-year schools, gives confusing signals to high school students. According to Rosenbaum (1998), students correctly perceive that they can attend college somewhere, even though they may not completely understand that they may have to take remedial courses before they can actually start college- level studies. But while a student’s record in high school does little to influence his or her ability to attend some college, that record is strongly related to success once the student is in college. Thus one problem is that students fail to understand what will be expected of them in postsecondary education. What many argue is needed is much stronger communication and collaboration between secondary and postsecondary systems (Orr, 1998; 1999); communication that will help students understand what they need to know and be able to do to achieve the ambitions that so many have. In many cases, this may motivate students to take their studies more seriously. Our education system currently creates a significant break between high school and college. But as some postsecondary education becomes increasingly necessary to gain access to most reasonably well-paid jobs, this sharp division is becoming more problematic. One solution to this problem involves creating a so-called K-14 system, that shifts this divide back two years. More ambitious proposals call for a smooth transition all the way from pre-kindergarden through college – a “P-16 movement” (Kleiman, 2001). While interest in links between high school and a broad range of colleges has grown in recent years, efforts are building on some pre-existing relationships. We will briefly review two of those relationships—the coordination of high school exit and college entry standards, and Tech Prep. The bulk of this paper will then be devoted to a discussion of one rapidly growing and promising initiative, dual enrollment.  View PDF version |
