Dual enrollment policies and programs, where students earn both high school and college credits, have been scaled up across the United States in the last two decades. In this mixed methods study, we survey high school principals in Ohio and Texas, two states with robust dual enrollment policies. The study addressed one broad research question:…

With the rapid growth of dual-credit enrollments, it is vital for higher education institutions to understand the needs of dual-credit students, particularly students with learning disabilities. The literature shows a gap in research related to the perceptions of dualcredit students utilizing learning accommodations. The purpose of this…

Dual enrollment (DE)--where students earn college credits during high school--is expanding rapidly. To facilitate DE, institutional actors across K-12 schools and colleges must build or repurpose structures across separate organizations to determine course offerings, assignments, modality, and composition. Yet the organization and implications of…

The number of jobs requiring a postsecondary credential has increased in Texas, and jobs requiring only a high school diploma have become rare. For Texas to improve the future of individuals and the state, policymakers and higher education administrators must commit to closing educational gaps. Literature, reports, and studies have demonstrated…

Background: Early Colleges (ECs) are a type of rapidly growing dual enrollment program proven to be successful in helping underrepresented students get a jumpstart on their postsecondary education. To date, the most rigorous evidence on the impact of ECs has come from two lottery-based natural experiments conducted by the SERVE Center (Edmunds et…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "Education Policy Issues in Texas & Georgia." Contents include: (1) What to…

With the 84th Legislature's House Bill 505 expansion of dual credit in Texas in fall 2015, students became eligible to begin coursework as early as ninth grade. Allowing students to begin college earlier in their high school journey triggered questions about their college and career readiness during transition to postsecondary coursework, which…

In envisioning the future of literacy, students' voices are paramount. Students' engagement in classroom talk increases their learning and communication skills, but without intentional implementation, classroom talk can perpetuate hegemony in contemporary classrooms. To better explore this phenomenon, we developed a study in a southeast Texas high…

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact early college high school, and dual credit programs had on students grade point average, the number of college credits earned, persistence rates, and completion rates at a central Texas community college. The researcher used a non-experimental quantitative study, with secondary non-identifying…

In response to the ban on affirmative action and the decrease in racial minority enrollment, the Texas legislature created the Texas Top 10% rule, which mandates public higher education institutions to admit undergraduate applicants who graduate in the top 10% of their high school class (Cortes & Friedson, 2014; Daugherty et al., 2014; Watkins…

The "60x30TX" higher education plan for Texas began in 2015 with four goals to be achieved by 2030: (1) 60x30 Educated Population: At least 60% of Texans ages 25-34 will have a certificate or degree; (2) Completion: At least 550,000 students in 2030 will complete a certificate or an associate, bachelor's, or master's degree from an…

States have introduced a range of policies and strategies aimed at boosting college readiness by strengthening collaborations between secondary and postsecondary education sectors. One popular strategy is Early College High Schools, which allows historically underserved student groups to complete college-level coursework and improve their college…

Objective: Early college high schools (ECHSs) allow high school students to accumulate credit toward an associate degree at little or no cost, often through partnerships with community colleges. The goal is to facilitate students' socialization into higher education, or the process of learning the skills, knowledge, and dispositions required for…

This study employed social capital and chain migration theory to understand the development of college aspirations and the college choice process of Latinx dual credit earners enrolled in engineering programs. Through semi-structured, one-on-one interviews, participants described the key individuals who inspired their college aspirations and…

In response to the rising cost of higher education, as well as the average time of six years to obtain a 4-year bachelor's degree, lawmakers, educators, and students have turned to credit-based collegiate programs as a potential solution. Dual credit is the most popular means to accumulate college credits at a lower cost. The body of research is…