High School Dual Enrollment Programs: Are We Fast-Tracking Students Too Fast?

Roughly one third of high school graduates do not enroll in postsecondary institutions, and a third of those who do are required to enroll in remedial education to prepare for college-level work (National Center for Education Statistics, 2003, 2004). One type of program designed to address these educational shortcomings is dual enrollment (hereafter DE), an arrangement by which high school students enroll in college courses and earn college credits. Proponents of DE believe that participation may promote college enrollment and completion by giving students a stronger preparation and a realistic idea of what college academics are like (see, e.g., Bailey, Hughes, & Karp, 2002). However, it is also the case that DE programs could potentially