Below are the current published resources from the six Dual Enrollment Research Fund projects. Two projects are still finalizing. Check back later for the complete findings of each project.
The Role of Course Modality in Dual Enrollment: Insights from North Carolina - Dual enrollment, or college courses offered in high school, can be delivered using a variety of modalities. Conducted in North Carolina, this study uses a statewide dataset to examine participation in and outcomes for three different delivery modalities for general academic courses and Career and Technical Education (CTE) dual enrollment courses: 1) on the college campus; 2) online; and 3) at a high school/other location. The study uses a propensity score weighting approach to compare outcomes for students who took the majority of their courses in a specific modality with students who did not take any dual enrollment at all. Analyses show that the proportion of courses taken online has increased substantially in recent years with over half of dual enrollment courses taken online during the study period. Course success rates vary by modality with the highest pass rates for courses taught at the high school/other location and the lowest pass rates for CTE courses taught online. However, the impact analyses show positive impacts on postsecondary enrollment and credential attainment for all three modalities with some of the strongest impacts on bachelor’s degree attainment for online courses. Qualitative data provide high-level insights around strengths and challenges associated with each modality. We conclude that all three modalities are viable options for the expansion of dual enrollment.
Expanding Access to High-Quality Dual Enrollment Through a Unique Teacher Qualification Model - States have long grappled with how to expand access to dual enrollment, or college credit in the high school, due in part to the limited number of high school teachers who are qualified to teach these courses. Oregon has worked to expand access to dual enrollment through a unique teacher qualification model called sponsored dual credit, which has led to positive outcomes for students in the state. This first study of sponsored dual credit draws on policy documents and interviews with postsecondary and high school educators to document the history and implementation of the model. The study also uses a novel K–12 and postsecondary integrated dataset that identifies high school student enrollment in sponsored dual credit and dual credit to provide policy-relevant evidence on the impact of a dual enrollment model with unique teacher qualification requirements. States looking to expand their dual enrollment educator pipeline—and particularly states that have gaps in access between rural and nonrural areas—should view sponsored dual credit as a lever for reducing access gaps.
Sponsored Dual Credit in Oregon: A Unique Dual Enrollment Teacher Qualification Design - Dual enrollment is a promising strategy to support high school students’ transition to college and college completion. However, some communities struggle to expand access to dual enrollment because too few high school teachers are qualified to teach the courses. To address this challenge, communities in Oregon designed sponsored dual credit: a unique dual enrollment model that leverages partnerships between high school teachers and college faculty members. This brief explores the history of sponsored dual credit, how the model is implemented in practice, and next steps for research.
Dual Credit and Educational Advantage for Low-Income Students: A First Look at FAST-Eligible Students’ Postsecondary Outcomes Policy Brief - In 2023, Texas created the Fast Action for Swift Transfer (FAST) program to provide funding for low-income students to participate in dual credit. The Lee College team examined how FAST impacted low income student participation and success in dual credit at one Texas institution of higher education and produced this policy brief with topline findings and policy recommendations that show FAST has significant promise but additional interventions are needed to close low income student access gaps.
The Other Half: Understanding How High School Practitioners Help Implement a Community College Dual Credit Policy - In summer 2023, Texas launched the FAST initiative to fund free dual credit courses for high school students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Drawing on a sensemaking framework, this qualitative case study examined how ten high school dual-credit practitioners in one Texas metropolitan area understood and implemented the policy during its first year. Findings indicate that while community colleges and leaders supported implementation, high school staff faced communication challenges due to limited capacity and training. Despite these barriers, practitioners used different strategies to raise awareness among students and families. The study highlights both the promise of the FAST initiative and the on-the-ground complexities of implementing a policy to expand access to college in high school settings, offering a real-time account of policy implementation and extending sensemaking theory to cross-sector settings that characterize dual-credit policies.
The Arc of Dual Enrollment: Access, Struggle, and What Makes Success Possible - For decades, dual enrollment functioned largely as a “program of privilege,” reaching students already bound for college. California’s 2016 College and Career Access Pathways Act set out to change that, extending college coursework to students from low-income and first-generation backgrounds for whom dual enrollment could serve as an on-ramp rather than an accelerator. But as access has broadened, a pressing question has emerged: What happens when students struggle in dual enrollment and/or do not succeed in their courses? Drawing on a statewide study of approximately 1.74 million California high school students, this WestEd brief reveals a “readiness illusion”: even among the most academically prepared students, those from low-income and first-generation backgrounds fail at disproportionately higher rates. Yet students who enroll and do not pass are still more likely to attend college than peers who never took advanced coursework. The brief argues for building intentional support infrastructure rather than restricting access, and it offers concrete guidance for district leaders, state policymakers, and researchers working to ensure that expanded access produces strong outcomes for students.
Making Dual Enrollment Work: Solving the Access–Success Paradox With OUSD’s Point Person Model - Dual enrollment policy has focused intensively on expanding access to college coursework for high school students, but far less attention has been paid to what enables students to succeed once they are enrolled. This creates an access–success paradox: the assumption that opening dual enrollment to students who do not typically participate in advanced coursework must necessarily result in declining success rates. This report examines how Oakland Unified School District challenges that assumption, drawing on more than 11 years of partnership with the Peralta Community College District to achieve an 83 percent average course pass rate among a student population composed predominantly of first-generation students, students from low-income backgrounds, and students of color. At the center of OUSD’s approach is the point person model, a systematic framework for embedding wraparound support throughout the dual enrollment experience. Rather than treating student support as an add-on service, OUSD places a dedicated staff member in every dual enrollment classroom to monitor student progress, bridge communication between college instructors and school-based staff, and provide individualized intervention when students struggle. The report offers districts and states a concrete, operational answer to the access–success paradox: open access paired with intentional support infrastructure can produce strong outcomes for students who have historically been underserved by advanced coursework.
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