September 2023–August 2025
This project is aimed at helping state system, college, and K-12 leaders capitalize on the potential of high school dual enrollment programs as affordable and effective on-ramps to postsecondary education and employment pathways leading to family-sustaining careers. Working with Dr. Lauren Schudde and her team at the University of Texas at Austin, CCRC researchers are examining which types of dual enrollment deliver the strongest educational and economic returns, in which states dual enrollment is more effective, and opportunities for greater impact.
To assess the national landscape of postsecondary outcomes among dual enrollment students, CCRC is using National Student Clearinghouse data to examine state-by-state differences in success in broadening access to dual enrollment to underserved groups and achieving stronger college-going and completion outcomes for these students after high school.
Researchers are also conducting a series of analyses in Texas to examine the educational and economic returns to different types of dual enrollment offerings and how these returns vary by student race/ethnicity, income, and gender. The project will produce a report with national and state-by-state findings on dual enrollment outcomes and research briefs illustrating how various types of dual credit coursework and programs lead to educational and economic gains for students in the short- and long-term and which students experience gains. Researchers will translate findings into workshops and briefings for state, system, and institutional leaders to support the implementation of strategies that maximize the returns of dual enrollment for students and their communities.
This project is funded by the Strada Education Foundation.
