Expanding College and Career Access Through Dual Enrollment Programs
Many school districts partner with colleges and universities to offer students access to college-level courses in high school to accelerate student learning. These opportunities—called dual credit, dual enrollment, or concurrent enrollment—help students earn college credits while still in high school.
Some programs, like Early College High Schools, even let students earn an associate degree or up to two years of college credits by graduation. AIR studies these programs to learn which ones work best, for which students, and under what conditions, so schools can improve college and career readiness and success.
AIR is committed to expanding college access by researching programs that give students a head start on college and by analyzing how well they support student success. Our work provides clear, evidence-based guidance to help schools create stronger pathways from high school to college.
What We Do
Improve programs through data
We help states and schools collect and analyze data to make dual enrollment and early college programs better and more effective for students.
Study student outcomes
We use state data and national databases to track how students perform in high school, college, and the workforce. Our experts design and administer surveys to gather information that isn’t available in administrative records.
Analyze program costs
We study how much these programs cost and whether their benefits are worth the investment, helping ensure resources are used effectively.
Our Impact
