Start College in High School
A recent study proves that high school students who enroll in college courses while they are high school students are more likely to attend college and be successful in college. High schoolers taking college courses is the subject of an October 17 Chronicle of Higher Education article by Elyse Ashburn.
Florida and New York states have dual enrollment programs which allow their high school students to take classes at local colleges for high school credit. Now a study has analyzed the effectiveness of such programs and has found them extremely helpful, especially to male students, lower-income students, and students who have struggled in high school academically. The findings recommend that states provide more free college courses to high school students, if not to all, at least to those from low-income families. Students who may not have thought of themselves as college material can better envision their college success once they have had the experience of a college class. A second recommendation is for high school students within the risk categories take more than one college class.