Dual enrollment is a high impact educational practice which allows high schools students to take college courses and receive college credit while they are still in high school. Known by many names and implemented in various ways, the idea is the same and the positive impacts on students are similar, namely that dual enrollment students are more likely than their peers to enroll in and complete college as well as do so at a higher level of performance and in less time to completion. All 50 states have some sort of dual enrollment programming, with some of the oldest and most comprehensive programs being located in the twelve MHEC states.
One model of dual enrollment is called concurrent enrollment. This model involves a specially qualified high school teacher working with a faculty member at a (usually local) postsecondary institution so that certain courses offered on the college campus are also taught in a high school setting. The concurrent enrollment mode of dual enrollment is one of the most effective and is particularly impactful for high school students who will be the first in their families to attend college. However, high school teachers who hold the credentials necessary to teach such courses are in short supply.
Since 2017, MHEC staff have engaged in research and policy initiatives to help understand and address the shortage of concurrent enrollment teachers in the Midwestern states. This work has involved partnerships with the Education Commission of the States (ECS), the College in the High School Alliance (CHSA), and the National Associations of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP). Aspects of the work have included research reports, advisory and working groups, convenings, and the launch of Graduate Credit Quest, a website where Midwestern teachers can search for online courses that will help them qualify to teach concurrent enrollment courses.
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