PreK-12 blog

High school students aren’t waiting for graduation to get a head start on college, and school districts aren’t waiting to rethink how they deliver it. Dual enrollment, once a niche offering, has become a cornerstone of college and career readiness strategies. And the data backs it up: Dual enrollment improves college enrollment and completion rates while helping close equity gaps for low-income students and students of color.

But as interest surges, many districts are hitting roadblocks. Scaling these programs isn’t easy. Behind the scenes, administrators face logistical hurdles, teacher credentialing challenges and concerns about maintaining instructional quality.

Why Scaling Dual Enrollment Isn’t Always Simple

While traditional higher education enrollment is declining, dual enrollment is on the rise. Nearly 2.5 million high school students are now taking college courses through dual enrollment, with 1.8 million enrolled at community colleges. These students comprise over 20 percent of total community college enrollment — a much larger share than previously estimated. This growth is driven by rising college costs, the demand for more career-relevant education and a desire to give students a head start.

Yet despite growing enthusiasm, many dual enrollment models remain difficult to scale. A common approach involves having high school teachers credentialed to teach college-level courses through local institutions. This method relies on a limited pool of qualified teachers and creates a complex web of administrative responsibilities between K-12 districts and higher ed partners.

A recent Pearson survey of 200 dual enrollment decision-makers confirmed what we’ve heard from educators nationwide: Demand is growing, but real barriers persist. Schools want to expand dual enrollment but are limited by the availability of credentialed teachers, the complexity of managing partnerships and doubts about whether online options can match the quality of in-person instruction.

As one respondent shared, “Managing the relationship with the college, getting instructors approved, tracking student performance, it’s a lot.” Another added, “Scheduling, staffing and partnerships — those are our biggest hurdles.” Despite the obstacles, leaders remain eager to innovate, but not at the expense of rigor, student relationships or support. “It needs to be streamlined and professional,” one decision-maker emphasized.

A New Path Forward: Reimagining Scale and Support in Dual Enrollment

If dual enrollment is to truly serve as a scalable, equitable path to college and career readiness, it requires rethinking not just the content but also the infrastructure that supports it.

School leaders have made it clear: They want models that preserve instructional quality, reduce administrative burden and provide robust student support — especially for learners taking their first college course.

This calls for fresh approaches that balance flexibility with structure, scale with support and rigor with relevance. That could mean new types of partnerships, innovative delivery formats or solutions that reduce reliance on credentialed staff while still meeting college-level expectations.

Part of that rethinking includes how we understand the role of state policy. States have increasingly stepped in, not just as regulators, but as key partners, offering incentives, providing funding and sometimes mandating programmatic support. These efforts signal a broader commitment to solving the scale challenge systemically, not just locally.

Through our research and conversations with hundreds of stakeholders, we’ve seen the impact that can be made when schools are empowered with flexible options that remove common roadblocks — whether by simplifying implementation, providing wraparound student support or ensuring consistency across districts.

Emerging Solutions: Virtual and Asynchronous Models

One promising direction gaining traction is the use of virtual, asynchronous course models that expand access without compromising quality. These approaches can help alleviate the strain on credentialed faculty, promote consistency across districts and offer students the flexibility to balance school, work and other commitments.

For example, schools can now offer dual enrollment courses built on established, college-level curricula and supported by dedicated success coaches. This helps students stay on track and feel supported throughout their journey, addressing a key concern among educators: supporting students as they navigate their first college experience.

Pearson’s dual enrollment model is one such example. Developed in collaboration with higher education partners, it streamlines implementation while offering students affordable, transferable college credit through engaging, asynchronous courses, backed by expert instruction and personalized coaching. This approach shows how innovation can scale dual enrollment while staying true to what matters most: students.

Ultimately, the evolution of dual enrollment will depend on solutions that are scalable, supported and student-centered — approaches that allow educators to focus less on logistics and more on learning. As districts look ahead, models that combine flexibility, rigor and robust student support will play a key role in expanding access and equity in college and career readiness.

Ready to bring scalable, student-centered dual enrollment to your district? Connect with us today to explore how Pearson can support your goals.

From the time we’re kids, we’re asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a big question — one that many students struggle to answer. Without real exposure to different career paths or learning about careers they may never have heard of, students often make choices based on limited information, missing out on opportunities that align with their skills and interests.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) is at a turning point. What once lived on the margins of academic planning is now front and center in national conversations around workforce development, education equity and student well-being.

As a former CTE educator and now working on CTE at Pearson, I’ve watched this evolution up close. Districts aren’t just experimenting with a few technology or agriculture pathways anymore; they’re building entire CTE-focused programs and schools, designing curricula aligned to workforce trends and giving students more ways than ever to find purpose and opportunity after graduation.

But for CTE to truly serve today’s students, it needs something it’s never had at scale: flexibility.

The future isn’t just approaching — it’s moving fast. As industries evolve and workforce demands shift, schools and districts have a critical role in ensuring students are prepared for what’s ahead. Traditional education models, which focus on knowledge retention alone, aren’t enough. Students need digital fluency and adaptability to succeed in an era of constant technological change.

In Part I of this blog, I talked about my own dual enrollment journey, and how it helped set me on a path towards my doctorate. I also discussed different dual enrollment delivery models, as well as benefits and barriers. How can barriers be broken? Here is one example from my work with CAST (creator of the Universal Design for Learning framework and guidelines).

BioFab USA: A CTE Dual Enrollment Case Study

In 2018, an emerging local industry for biofabrication in New Hampshire identified a need for skilled technical workers in this advanced manufacturing field. They were getting applicants with bachelor's and master's degrees, but they lacked the necessary technical skills. How could this be addressed from the ground up?

Identify the opportunity

Though New Hampshire high schools offered STEM-oriented courses, the most relevant classes were often full. However, on-campus at community colleges, there were biotechnology classes that were never full. High school students needed to be made aware of career opportunities in the biofabrication industry and the ability to take these introductory biotechnology courses (and other intro courses in this career path) through dual enrollment at their local community college.

In a National Science Foundation funded project, the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) partnered with CAST, who in turn collaborated with several area career and technical education high schools, community colleges, and industry partners to create a career awareness program promoting biofabrication as a desirable career path. The project resulted in the creation of a website, BioFab USA, used to increase awareness of the biofabrication industry and encourage recruitment into dual enrollment courses that are a part of the pathway to that career.

Using UDL to identify and remove barriers

To inform creation of the website using CAST’s universal design (UDL) guidelines, high school students were asked anonymously what barriers kept them from enrolling in dual enrollment programs and what kind of information they needed to make their college and career decisions. Students mentioned some of the barriers to dual enrollment they were experiencing included parents needing to be more supportive, not understanding what the requirements were, feeling like they might not be successful, and whether there was a cost involved.

At the same time, when these students were asked what motivated and excited them about potential careers, they responded with their needing a sense of accomplishment, their desire to make the world a better place, and loving new things. This is important because it speaks to their potential engagement, but the opportunity for this level of engagement is only possible if we can get them into the dual enrollment courses of their choice, connecting them to their potential career. In the case of biofabrication, this is where the BioFab USA website comes in.

Since New Hampshire students can't register for dual enrollment classes until the 10th grade, BioFab USA focused on training 9th-grade teachers in both CTE and non-CTE courses (like biology and automotive) on how to use the site to talk about dual enrollment opportunities available to students that could put them on a path toward a future career in biofabrication. Results from this case study on dual enrollment course taking, completion, and progression onto a biofabrication career path are not yet available, as the program is ongoing, but we anticipate findings within the next two years. For more details, please see BioFab USA: A Dual Enrollment Case Study.

Dual enrollment can be life changing

We do our students a disservice when we don't take the time and opportunity to connect them to things that excite them, engage them, and point them in the direction of their future. Dual enrollment does just that. It did it for me, and I believe it can be done for any student.

Learn more about Pearson’s dual enrollment solutions

My own professional journey

Who knew nine dual enrollment credits would one day lead me on a path to becoming a mid-career doctoral student? My dual enrollment story began unknowingly in high school, with my school’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program connecting me to a trade school that had an articulation agreement with my local university. With this, college became an option for me if I chose it. After graduating high school, trying college at 18, and failing miserably, I decided to attend that same trade school introduced to me in high school. I completed trade school wonderfully and went into a career in radio.

After a while, I began to have thoughts of going back and trying college again. One of the critical factors in my decision to go back to college and what college to go to was the articulation agreement my trade school had with our local university. My 8-month program in trade school post-high school and my dual enrollment credits earned while still in high school equaled nine credits at the university. This meant slightly shortened time spent as an undergraduate and financial savings, as I would not have to pay for three classes.

Enrolling in that local university allowed me to complete my bachelor's degree. And later, I completed my master's to maintain pace with job requirements. Now, I am in the second year of my doctoral program, and it all started with an articulation agreement between the university and the trade school I took dual enrollment classes in while in high school.

When you have the chance to earn college credit while taking another program, whether it's in high school or trade school, you are opening the door to:

• Another level of opportunity
• Affordability
• Career direction
• Greater immediacy to start an engaging career and a lifetime of achievement and growth

What is Dual Enrollment?

So, what is dual enrollment? Dual enrollment is earning college credit while simultaneously earning high school credit (or in my case, trade school credit).

What are the benefits of Dual Enrollment?

The benefits of dual enrollment are simple:

• Earning college credit early.
• Financial savings for classes you will not have to take once you get to college.
• Potentially earning credentials and certifications earlier leading to a jumpstart on a career
• Increased likelihood of going on to post-secondary programs and completing those post-secondary programs¹(which was my case!)

Everybody benefits from dual enrollment, but male students, students with disabilities, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds may benefit the most.²

How does Dual Enrollment work?

There are several delivery models:

1. College credit-bearing coursework delivered by a college-approved high school teacher on the high school campus.
2. College credit-bearing coursework delivered by the college instructor on the high school campus.
3. College credit-bearing coursework offered at the college campus, which means students must travel.

And there's “early college” or “college in the high school”, where high school students may earn both a high school diploma and an associate degree. They tend to combine high school and college coursework in a single curriculum. Students may stay in high school a little longer, usually an extra year. Still, when they graduate, they've got the high school diploma and their associate degree, which again, leads to tremendous financial and time savings.

This is wonderful but…

If dual enrollment is so great, why aren't more students taking advantage of it?

...There may be barriers

First, there is a cost that needs to be covered by the local high school, state, or directly by students/parents for incorporating dual enrollment programs. Students may be afraid or insecure that they will not do well because of the college-level work involved.

If dual enrollment classes are held on the college campus, transportation, and a lack of support at home can be a problem.

Dual enrollment courses may be weighted differently than Advanced Placement on high school transcripts.

Scheduling can be problematic, as dual enrollment courses can conflict with other required core curriculum classes.

The high school may offer dual enrollment courses that students are not interested in.

But barriers are made to be overcome...

Stay tuned for Part II of this dual enrollment story, which will include a barrier breaking case study from New Hampshire’s BioFab USA.

Learn more about Pearson’s dual enrollment solutions

In case you haven’t been reading the headlines, workforce shortages are an increasing challenge impacting numerous American business sectors. Baby boomers are leaving the workforce and younger populations following them are fewer in number. The education sector is no exception.

Many schools and districts are struggling to find qualified teacher candidates. This issue is particularly problematic when considering career and technical education. In August 2022, 74% of public schools with at least one vacancy in CTE reported it was somewhat or very difficult to fill these positions with certified teachers.

There are several reasons why CTE has been hit particularly hard by teacher shortages. For one, salaries are usually lower than in other fields outside of education. Consider, that while some CTE educators follow a traditional four-year college pathway into education like language arts, mathematics, and science educators, many others arrive differently after serving careers in business and industry sectors. These individuals often enter the field because they want to “give back” and see an opportunity in a field of study that mirrors their industry knowledge and experience, but many face a salary differential.

For example, nurses often enter the field of health science education because they know a lot about the health care field. CTE students benefit from this wealth of industry knowledge and “real world” experience, but transitions from the medical profession into CTE can be sobering when it comes to salaries. U.S. News and World Report shares that the median Registered Nurse salary in 2021 was $77,600, and metropolitan areas are often well above the $100,000 mark.

While our community grapples with the issues impacting the nontraditional path into CTE education, we also have challenges related to the four-year route, which has traditionally served fields of study such as Family and Consumer Sciences and Agriculture Education.

Four-year college teacher educator programs have suffered staffing reductions and a good number have been eliminated altogether over the years. Some states have no collegiate institution within their borders providing a traditional four-year degree in a CTE teaching field. While that has an immediate impact related to preparing and graduating CTE teachers, it also reduces capacity related to CTE research and other foundational activities that support the CTE profession.

These are but a few issues impacting the CTE profession; there are others. Similar to colleagues in other fields of study, the CTE community is coalescing to build the CTE educator workforce through actions such as promoting the field to students, exploring innovative preparation models, raising salaries and establishing “grow your own” programs at the local level.

The Association for Career and Technical Education has been working to identify solutions to CTE teacher recruitment and retention challenges, both at the secondary and postsecondary levels. A Teach CTE Repository of research and promising programs and practices has been developed, ACTE’s federal advocacy team is promoting legislation to address the teacher pipeline, and a new toolkit for attracting students to the field is planned for release this spring.

In June, the Association will be hosting its second Teach CTE Summit to identify additional promising practices and policies and to discuss the research and data needed to address recruitment and retention issues within the CTE field, both at the secondary and postsecondary level.

Visit ACTE’s website for additional information and to register for the Teach CTE Summit.

Pearson is proud to continue our ongoing partnership with ACTE to provide CTE educators with resources and best practices to create educator-employer connections, leading to college and career success for all students. Learn more here.  

There are many best practices which can be associated with Community Oriented Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs. Three main practices which can apply no matter the demographics of the community have been identified. They are: Advising; Succession Plan; and Community Partnership. 

Advising  

There is a wealth of academic research which suggests academic advising should serve as fundamental support for students. If implemented correctly, the advisement process allows advisors to extend support to students through academic and career planning. That includes addressing socioeconomic factors (Cueso, 2019) which may influence diploma (K-12) or certificate or degree completion. The advising process should always be tailored to the individual student’s likes, dislikes, abilities, and desires as it relates to the program and course offerings. That is as opposed to a “one size fits all” approach. Doing so encourages a positive, organic relationship between the student and the advisor which will contribute to overall success.  

Succession Plan  

Unexpected events occur. It is inevitable. Planning for such unexpected events should be an integral part of the best practices conversation. Dual credit courses should feed into both a student’s college credit and certificate or degree program requirements. That is in addition to their knowledge base for their career. Ensuring a transition which is as seamless as possible for the student will impact their outcomes in both short and long term.  Developing a thoughtful succession plan allows program administrators and instructors to identify and plan for unexpected events (i.e., change of instructor, change of location, etc.).  

Community Partnership  

Most successful CTE programs thrive because of their community partnerships. Successful CTE programs carefully identify local partners to assist with the implementation of their programs in various ways.  

Think about YOUR Community….

Consider the industries in the local community versus those in other communities with successful CTE programs.

Pay attention to the demographics of the program’s student body and consider those factors when making program improvements.

Naturally, always remember education is not one size fits all! 

Learn more about K-12 CTE Pathways dual enrollment programs from Pearson

References: 

Cuseo, J. (2019, January). Academic Advisement and Student Retention: Empirical Connections & Systemic Interventions. https://www.shawnee.edu/sites/default/files/2019-01/Academic-advisementv-and-student-retention.pdf

A few personal finance lessons from the pandemic

Recent high school graduates are making financial choices during a pandemic that will impact their financial lives moving forward. Now, more than ever, it is extremely important for high school students to have the basic and foundational training needed to make informed financial decisions.

COVID-19's impact

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted our lives in numerous ways and forever changed the way we work, conduct business, and live our lives. Pew Research recently published personal finance statistics about the pandemic including;

• Over 50% of non-retired adults believe the pandemic consequences will make it more difficult to achieve their financial goals.
• 44% of people that believe the pandemic worsened their financial situation believe it will take at least 3 years to recover.
• Lower income, minorities, and younger adults are more likely to have lost a job or taken a pay cut due to the pandemic.
• Many respondents indicated their credit ratings had taken a hit due to the pandemic.1

So, what can we learn from the pandemic? Let’s look at a few life lessons we can glean from our collective experiences.

Rainy day fund

Most financial experts recommend you have an emergency reserve fund, or rainy day fund, equivalent to three to six months living expenses set aside for emergency use. For example, assume your monthly expenses that include housing, automobile costs, insurance, utilities, food, and entertainment total about $2,500 per month. You will need to build a rainy day fund equivalent to $7,500– $15,000 that you can invest in liquid assets to help you weather job loss or other emergencies.

Keep this money in a checking or savings account so you can access it quickly. Even though inflation is eroding the value at this time, you will still need to be able to access this money in an emergency.

If you need to replenish your rainy day fund that was depleted during the pandemic, or establish one now, this should be one of your top priorities. Many people forced to stay home during the pandemic learned the importance of this cash reserve.

Career choices

Are you an essential worker or a nonessential worker? This designation applied to everyone during the pandemic when the government forced us to stay home. Some of us were able to work remotely. Others had jobs that had to be filled regardless of the pandemic like health care professionals, law enforcement, fire protection, and teachers. Some worked from home and others reported to work. Keep this in mind as you begin thinking about a career path. If you worked in hospitality and tourism or retail, you probably did not have a job during the pandemic.

Rebuild your credit score if needed

Many people were unable to make their payments during the pandemic which harmed their credit scores. A good credit score impacts your ability to borrow money and the interest rate you pay on those loans. A poor credit score can cost you thousands of dollars in additional interest charges over your lifetime.

If your credit score took a hit during the pandemic, you need to begin repairing it now. Develop a plan to pay off loans that are in default. Pay down high interest credit card debt. Consider consolidating your loans and contact your lenders to work out a repayment plan.

Tighten your budget

Do you know where your money goes every month? Track your cash inflows and outflows for a couple of months. This will help you identify areas where you can cut back on spending.

Make sure you have a long-term plan to create a continuous cash surplus so you can use this money to establish or replenish your rainy day fund and rebuild your credit. You may be able to sell a few things you no longer need or want or work a few extra hours each week. Create that budget surplus so you can become more financially secure.

Reduce your debt

Many people learned during the pandemic that their budgets were stretched too tight. They had too much debt to weather a loss in income. Take advantage of the current environment and try to pay off as much debt as possible.

If you can go into the next financial crisis, whether economy-wide or on a personal level, with limited debt it makes it much easier to survive. Focus on paying down high interest debt first. Hopefully, the only debt you will have in a few years is your home mortgage.

Learn more in Personal Financial Literacy, 3rd Edition

There are other financial lessons you can learn from the pandemic, but this list is a good place to start. As the pandemic has shown, students today need more preparation than ever for the financial “real world” prior to high school graduation.

Personal Financial Literacy, 3rd Edition (Madura, Casey & Roberts) addresses many of the issues presented here, including learning to budget, understanding how to read a paycheck and determining net (take-home) pay, choosing a bank or taking out a loan, and much more.

Learn more about Personal Financial Literacy, 3rd Edition, by Jeffery Madura, Michael Casey, and Sherry Roberts

Sources

1Horowitz, J.M., A. Brown, and R. Minkin (March 5, 2021); “A Year Into the Pandemic, Long-Term Financial Impact Weighs Heavily on Many Americans” Pew Research Center