College Prep Programs For All: Through Dual Enrollment Programs Students Are More Successful in Matriculating to College

As the global economy unfolds, job criteria become more demanding, making college degrees pertinent in order to obtain advanced professions and reap success on the social mobility ladder. Meanwhile, job competition is growing substantially and employers are searching out the most dexterous candidates to hire. College-based institutions are vital for students because they prepare them for university level work and the competitive workforce that awaits them. Unfortunately, many inner city students lack the necessary skills and encouragement to pursue a high school degree, let alone a bachelor's. Community is a domineering factor that perpetuates this unfavorable result in urban areas such as South Central, Los Angeles (pictured to the left). In order to overcome the negative influences, students and their parents look to college preparatory programs in hope that they would provide adequate preparation, guidance, and support needed to matriculate to college. College-ready institutions are beginning to spread in inner cities; however many have highly selective processes in admitting students. Subsequently, rejects in the disadvantaged communities are left behind. With nation-wide Dual Enrollment Programs, however, every child can gain the necessary attributes in becoming more prepared for and optimistic about attending college.

In short, Dual Enrollment, sometimes referred to as College Credit Transition Programs, allow K-12 “students to take college-level classes and earn college credit” prior to obtaining a high school diploma. These initiatives are widespread throughout the nation and most popular in Middle College High Schools. They often work by three sometimes overlapping procedures: offer high school students the knowledge and skills necessary for success in college-level classes; developmental coursework explicitly designed to prepare students for the demands of college-level work; and college credit coursework. Dual Enrollment Programs are motivational incentives because they allow students to take college level classes while simultaneously fulfilling high school needs. For the 2002-03 school year, 71 percent of public high schools reported that students took courses for dual credit, meaning that they took a course for both high school and college credit. The graph to the right displays 84 percent of them reporting their enrollment in college on account of the Dual Enrollment. Furthermore, Florida researchers found that their 299,685 dual enrollment participants “had higher college grade point averages and more college credits three years after high school graduation than similar students who had not done dual enrollment.”

Although originally designed for high-achievers solely, policymakers and educators observe that broadening the range of applicants generates favorable effects regardless of students’ former achievement levels. These programs show significant improvement in inner cities where many children initially have no ambition of attending college and studies in New York and Florida deem greatest impact for males and low income students. By taking part in the Dual Enrollment Program students not only eventually matriculate to college, but they gain vital characteristics and values for learning. Many students begin to have specific career goals that may have once been blurred. The graph below compares the classes students took during the 2002-03 12 month period. More than 90 percent of students enrolled in career/technical and/or academic focused courses. In essence, students gain optimism about attending college, which encourages tenacity in graduating from high school.

I personally believe in these programs, serving as a living testament of how Dual Enrollment Programs help students in matriculating to college. In growing up, I dealt with crime, violence and overall negativity on a habitual day-to-day basis. Frequently on my way to the bus stop, I would see my peers hanging around cars or tagging on neighbors' walls when they should have been on a similar route as me--catching the bus to go to school. One of the factors propelling me to go to school rather than partaking in such misdemeanor was not solely because the bell ran at 8 o’clock, but more importantly since my homeroom teacher only allowed students who were on time to attend their college classes. This incentive is what made education more valuable to me. Taking the college classes allowed me to have more control on my education--deciding what classes I wanted to take, what my field of study would be. Ultimately, I was able to graduate from high school with my Associate of Arts Degree in Liberal Arts at the age of 14. Through these Dual Enrollment Programs, I was able to pursue two years of college while fulfilling my high school credits. This substantial reward is what served as my motivation for doing well in school.

While the average American is aware that a college degree is pertinent for success in the global economy, many youth in inner cities are pessimistic about matriculating to college. Moreover, students in urban public school systems have higher drop out rates and reduced rates of college degrees. A lack of optimism, awareness, guidance and support, are major factors that trigger urban students' downward trajectory in the social mobility ladder. Inevitably, there are many problems that need to be addressed concerning urban youth and their value for education. Alongside, there are myriad of ways to resolve this issue. One way to start is through use of the Dual Enrollment Programs: they offer all students motivation, optimism, preparation and guidance in valuing their education and matriculating to college.