Students in California who have historically been underrepresented on college campuses may be missing out on a promising opportunity to successfully transition from high school to college, due in part to state policies that hinder them from earning college credit while in high school.

“Dual” or “concurrent” enrollment programs have long been offered to academically gifted students needing more intellectual rigor than their high schools could provide. Now such programs are also being successfully used to improve the college readiness of low-income minority students who often don’t think of themselves as college material. 

In 2005-06, approximately 115,000 high school students in California were in dual enrollment programs. The potential of these programs is hampered by barriers to their creation and growth in California. 

One example is the lack of a statewide vision for dual enrollment, which makes such programs “vulnerable to short-term, ad hoc decisions at the local level.” Allegations of financial abuses related to improper funding of dual enrollment courses in 2002 led to state policies that discouraged participation in dual enrollment.  

The model’s strong track record elsewhere and current planning “behind the scenes” should pave the way for a more welcoming environment in years to come.