March 24, 2025
WestEd has received a 5-year, $5.9 million grant to adapt Quantway, a research-based, college-level quantitative reasoning course, for dual enrollment. This adaptation will allow high school students to take the course and earn college credit. Working with Dallas College, WestEd will adapt the existing course to meet the learning needs of high school students and evaluate how the course impacts student learning and college readiness.
The initiative is one of 33 grants awarded through the highly competitive Education Innovation and Research program. WestEd will collaborate with Dallas College, Dallas-area high schools, Motivate Lab, and the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to develop and assess this innovative program.
Over the last 14 years, more than 50,000 community college students have taken Quantway, and studies have found that it both improves student outcomes and builds students’ confidence with math. By adapting Quantway for dual enrollment, the project aims to increase college readiness and expand access for local students to college-level coursework beyond the traditional Algebra pathway, offering students an option that may better align with their college and career goals. Approximately 2,000 Dallas-area high school students will participate in the Quantway dual enrollment pilot and evaluation studies.
“We are excited to introduce Quantway to high school students through a dual enrollment course,” said Ann Edwards, Senior Director of Mathematics Education at WestEd. “In today’s world, it’s essential for students to see themselves as capable mathematicians, both in and out of the classroom. By expanding access to Quantway and tailoring it to high school students’ needs, we aim to unlock postsecondary opportunities for more students by making math engaging and empowering students to recognize their own mathematical abilities.”
Dual enrollment Quantway will provide real-world applications of math and help students make sense of data, with lessons focused on personal finance, civics and citizenship, health and welfare, environmental issues, and technology. Quantway uses a collaborative learning approach, which emphasizes student interaction to explore ideas and learn together.
“We are excited to work together with WestEd on developing an innovative course that expands college-level learning options to more of our high school students and supports their success and advancement to higher education,” said Raghunath Kanakala, Vice Provost of the School of Engineering, Technology, Mathematics, and Sciences at Dallas College.
To adapt the course for high school dual enrollment, WestEd will work with dual enrollment instructors, administrators, students, and parents from both Dallas College and its partnering high schools to codesign the curriculum. Motivate Lab will integrate social–emotional learning practices into the course, which will be designed for students who face challenges to graduating high school and succeeding in college. AIR will conduct a randomized controlled trial that will evaluate the course’s effects on student learning, mindset, identity, and college readiness.
To learn more about Quantway and this project, visit the Carnegie Math Pathways website.
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