Access to middle-class jobs increasingly requires a college degree or other postsecondary credential. However, students from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely than their more advantaged peers to have awareness of—and access to—the resources necessary to prepare, apply, enroll, and succeed in college. The U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is interested in expanding the evidence base of strategies to increase preparation for and reduce barriers to success in postsecondary education. There’s particular interest in strategies for students from low-income and other disadvantaged backgrounds. 

Dual enrollment programs represent one promising option that can help prepare students for college, lower the cost of earning a college credential, and improve student outcomes like college enrollment, persistence, and completion. However, students from groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education are less likely to participate in dual enrollment programs, even though they stand to benefit greatly from such programs. IES contracted with Abt Global and our partners to study strategies to improve disadvantaged students’ access to dual enrollment opportunities.