On the Fast Track ― Understanding the Opportunities and Challenges of Dual Credit

The dual-credit curricular initiative offers high school students the opportunity to earn college and high school credits simultaneously without taking a standardized test to acquire the credit. The courses are purported to introduce students to a more rigorous curriculum in high school and save them time and money in their pursuit of college degrees. Dual credit programs have grown rapidly, and this monograph provides a synthesis of:

• the scholarly literature on dual credit offered at high school and a variety of postsecondary settings;

• underrepresented students’ experiences with the course(s), and

• suggestions for future research and drivers that will influence its development.

Originally, these initiatives focused on high-achieving students, but additional models have emerged that expand the benefits to lower- and middle-achieving students as well.

This is the third issue of the 42nd volume of the Jossey-Bass series ASHE Higher Education Report. Each monograph is the definitive analysis of a tough higher education issue, based on thorough research of pertinent literature and institutional experiences. Topics are identified by a national survey. Noted practitioners and scholars are then commissioned to write the reports, with experts providing critical reviews of each manuscript before publication.

Volume Editors:
Dr. Barbara F. Tobolowsky is an associate professor in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies department at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Dr. Taryn Ozuna Allen is an assistant professor in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies department at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Series Editors:
Kelly Ward and Lisa E. Wolf-Wendel