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Speaking OutDual Enrollment Programs WorkAt the community college I teach at in Massachusetts, the state funds a dual enrollment program. This program allows qualified high school students to take courses at the college for free while earning high school and college credit simultaneously. Dual enrollment represents a one-system vision of education, with secondary schools and colleges working towards the same goal: providing educational opportunity for the community. Despite occasional pitfalls and a lack of administrative support, our program can promote access, equity, and excellence in our schools. Most importantly, our dual enrollment program is particularly well-suited to "first generation" college students. For one thing, the community college population is more diverse ethnically, economically, and linguistically than typical four-year institutions, so the campus provides a perfect transition from high school to college, particularly for the first generation student who might feel alienated at a large school with a more homogenous and privileged population. Another plus: These dual enrollment students learn what no one in their families could teach them—what college is like. Such students can grow to straddle the divergent cultures of their home and the academy, drawing from both for support. The dual enrollment student's life also remains constant, except for academics, allowing the student to focus on the intellectual development aspect of the college experience. Students in dual enrollment programs enjoy an opportunity to explore disciplines beyond the scope of traditional high school curriculum, sparking a love of learning for its own, not always utilitarian, sake. Later on, program graduates ease into the college where they intend to graduate with an advantage of confidence, bred of their prior practice at college coursework. The first generation college students in our dual enrollment program, for example, gained admission to the most competitive colleges in the nation and excelled there. Also important: Dual enrollment programs demonstrate the absolute interconnectedness between high schools and colleges. In a dual enrollment program, colleges look to high schools for their future students; high schools look to colleges for their students' futures.
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I'd like to say!In the June Capitol to Campus, there is a brief discussion of where "the presidential candidates" stand on higher ed issues. While I am too disinterested to be fully aware of the full slate of candidates, I am aware that Ralph Nader is a very likely candidate on the ballot in most states. One of the most pervasive problems in this country is the lack of choice outside the Republican Democrat dichotomy. I would like to think that more enlightened organizations, such as the NEA, would champion this notion and include the higher ed perspectives of all candidates. Who decided that there should only be two? And why are we perpetuating this myth? —Ray Pfeiffer NEA's PAC Council, comprised of each NEA state affiliate president and representatives from various membership caucuses, has determined the electoral viability of presidential candidates since 1972. There are several factors used to determine candidate viability, including the number and experience of the candidate's campaign staff, money raised, the thoroughness of the candidate's campaign plan, and the candidate's standing in polls conducted by independent national news organizations. —Mary Elizabeth Teasley |
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