College in High School Alliance Announces Partnership with Six States Offering Technical Assistance on Dual Enrollment Policy

The College in High School Alliance (CHSA) is excited to announce it is actively working with Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio, and Oklahoma to advance each state’s policies to support equity of access and success to college in high school programs like dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment, and early college high school.

After a national competition in 2021, CHSA selected to work with teams from the six states during 2022 to assist each state with analyzing its existing policies impacting college in high school programs, assess areas of advancement to improve student access and success, and work with the state to implement outlined action steps.

National experts from the eight core collaborative organizations who make up CHSA’s Steering Committee, including Achieving the Dream, Advance CTE, Bard College, Foresight Law + Policy, JFF, KnowledgeWorks, the Middle College National Consortium, and the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) are engaging with each of the partner states to address their unique needs and challenges. The National Governors Association is also a key partner in working with the selected states.

In addition, CHSA invited teams from all 25 states who submitted an application in response to the national competition to join a new CHSA Peer Learning Network for state policymakers to share learnings and ongoing challenges, and collaborate together on developing solutions to advance college and career readiness for students through college in high school programs.

“College in high school programs are proven mechanisms for advancing student access and success to postsecondary education, and policy is a vital tool to ensure students have equitable access to high-quality programs,” said Alex Perry, Policy Advisor at Foresight Law + Policy and Coordinator of CHSA. “Given the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college enrollments, these programs are an important tool in helping recover from the pandemic and get more students on a pathway to college and career success. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be partnering with Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio, and Oklahoma – and the other 19 states in our new Peer Learning Network – to advance this work.”

“College in high school programs have become increasingly accessible to students across the country and have proved capable of increasing postsecondary completion by students from populations traditionally underserved by high schools and colleges” said Joel Vargas, Vice President at JFF. “However, more must be done to close equity gaps, spur innovation, and ensure that these programs place students on a path toward obtaining credentials with labor market value. We are excited to be working with the College in High School Alliance and the selected states to dig into this important work together.”

“CHSA has created a truly unique opportunity for states to thoughtfully examine their existing policy and whether it helps or hinders equitable access and participation for students,” said Amy Williams, Executive Director of NACEP. “NACEP believes that good policy supports good practice, and good policy is informed by research and includes the voice of the field. We are excited to bring that lens to our work with both the Peer Learning Network and the six states receiving technical assistance.”

“College in high school programs are an important opportunity for high school students who want to personalize their education journeys,” said Lillian Pace, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at KnowledgeWorks. “These programs give students an opportunity to participate in both postsecondary and workforce readiness experiences, which are crucial to developing the knowledge, skills and relationships that they’ll need to be successful in both college and in their future careers. We are very excited to have an opportunity to work with each of these states as they seek to expand access to these programs. We look forward to the great work they will be doing in the months ahead.”

“The Delaware Department of Education is excited to partner with the College in High School Alliance to help us strategically plan and thoughtfully align existing initiatives already underway in the state to promote student access and success through innovative postsecondary transition programs like dual enrollment,” said Shana Payne, Director, Delaware Higher Education Office.  “With a lens of equity and innovation, we will explore policy options, national best practices, innovative and flexible delivery models to increase post-secondary access and success for Delaware’s high school students.”

“Since the passage of the Illinois’ Dual Credit Quality Act in 2010, the state has worked to expand student access and success in dual credit, which is an important part of the pathway to college for many students. The Illinois Community College Board is excited to partner with the College in High School Alliance to build upon this previous work and to broaden dual credit opportunities for even more Illinois students, particularly minority and rural students,” said ICCB Executive Director Brian Durham.

“Kentucky is proud of the work that it has done to date expanding access to dual credit, which allows high school students to jumpstart their college and career journeys,” said Dr. Paul Czarapata, president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. “But we know there is still work to be done to expand access for more students and continue to build a system that serves students better. We are looking forward to working with the College in High School Alliance’s team of national experts to continue to build our capacity and address remaining barriers to access and success.”

“Minnesota is one of the leading states in the nation for the number of students who take college courses while in high school, but we know there is more work to be done to expand equitable access for underserved students and to ensure their success,” said Dr. Ron Anderson, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. “Minnesota State and the Minnesota P-20 Education Partnership are excited to work with the College in High School Alliance and its team of experts on dual and concurrent enrollment to advance policy to address outstanding challenges and ensure that more students gain access to high quality courses that put them on a pathway to college and career success.”

Chancellor Randy Gardner of the Ohio Department of Higher Education said, “The students and families of Ohio have greatly benefited from the state’s College Credit Plus program with over $883 million in tuition savings over the first six years of the program. This unique opportunity to partner with the College in High School Alliance will provide critical insights and best practices from other states and national experts that can be considered as we evaluate options to increase access and success in all of Ohio’s college in high school programs. We are excited about the possibility to expand college access so even more high school students can take advantage of these programs, saving them time and money after they graduate from high school and allowing them to make a more immediate impact on the Ohio workforce.”

“The concurrent enrollment program strengthens student preparation for college, reduces family college costs, increases college degree completion, and decreases the time required to complete a degree,” said Chancellor Glen D. Johnson of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. “The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education are pleased to partner with the College in High School Alliance to advance policy initiatives that expand access to high quality concurrent enrollment opportunities for Oklahoma students.”

About the College in High School Alliance

The College in High School Alliance (CHSA) is a coalition of leading national and state organizations that works towards a future in which every state, and the federal government, has a policy framework that ensures that student access, participation and success in college in high school programs accurately reflects the geographic, demographic, and economic make-up of the nation’s high school students.

For Inquiries, Please Contact

Alex Perry, Coordinator of the College in High School Alliance, alex.perry@flpadvisors.com.