Chapter 14: The Role of Dual Credit/Dual Enrollment Courses in the Recruitment and Retention of Hispanic Students in Higher Education

The relationship between secondary and higher education centers on bridging the gap between high school studies and college or university education. The idea is that the number of students successfully completing high school with the requisite skills and transitioning to college or university should grow in quality as well as quantity. This process also demands that the mix of students should include ever increasing numbers of underrepresented groups such as African Americans, Hispanics, women, and adult-learners.

The general trend in secondary education is to include advanced course offerings, or opportunities for secondary students to study at a more advanced level in preparation for college- and university-level studies. While so-called dual enrollment and dual credit courses, both give students the opportunity to study at a higher level, only dual credit courses allow the students to earn college credit while still in high school. Students seeking college credit must meet college-level requirements, which may include writing-intensive assignments and demonstrated skill levels of higher mathematics and reading comprehension.