Critical Reflection on Dual Enrollment Participation in New York City High Schools
Jenaira Donohue

Entering into the New York City public school system, I had little knowledge of any of the big concerns related to the field in which I would be a professional. As most of us were, I was overwhelmed with keeping my feet on the ground during the first few months of the school year and adjusting to the new career I had chosen. However, not long after I started teaching 11th graders at the Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics, a major concern became undeniable. College success for my students was something that probably did not extend further them getting them accepted into a school. The reality of the situation is that we can only do so much to prepare the students for success throughout college. We can prepare them for entrance, which is probably more of a pitfall than an advantage if they can not remain there; I fear most of them can’t. The economy today more often than not demands a college education, and simply getting into a post-secondary school is not enough. It is necessary that we are working to have our students successfully complete a college education, not just secure the opportunity for one. College Now and other dual enrollment opportunities are ways to ensure this happens for them.

The College Now program my students are participating in is offering hope in this matter. New York City’s public university system (CUNY) participates in College Now with almost 300 high schools in NYC (Karp, M., et al, 2007). In other words, this dual enrollment allows my students to leave the school early in the day to attend college level courses and accrue credit that go toward their college degrees at no charge. Here, students are becoming acclimated to the college classroom environment, which couldn’t be any different from the high school classroom they’ve been familiar with for 3 years as juniors. Throughout New York City, “11.1 percent of all…high school students participated in some College Now activity in the 2004-2005 academic year,” (Colton, T., 2006). This represents a large number of high achieving students, but students who are average-low achieving are not denied the opportunity.

Success in a college classroom implies that the student has self-control and academic discipline. Students must be self-motivated and determined in such a competitive and individual-driven learning environment. College Now offers students an opportunity to practice these academic skills that might be more difficult to instill in an inner city, high school classroom. Students participating in College now get a chance to begin to practice these qualities and then are more apt to implement them in their high school classrooms and academic achievement. Low achievement in the classroom can oftentimes be contributed to slacking off, which many students in their senior year are guilty of. However, College Now programs encourage student to rise to new challenges and also relay a pertinent goal to students in a year that may otherwise seem unrelated to future endeavors and unnecessary for graduation (Bailey, T., et al, 2002). College Now pushes students to achieve their potential and can act, then, as a motivation tool for students who are low-achieving as well as gifted students.

Experience in a college classroom gives kids the familiarity I think many New York City students need to do well upon entrance into college, but to even decide if college is right for them. College Now offers students the ability to take up to 6 credits per semester. Therefore, because it is free to students, they can earn up to 12 credits, or the equivalent of a college semester, during one year of College Now at no charge whatsoever (Bailey, T., et al, 2002). Speaking from experience, one of my younger brothers entered college not wanting to. Because my family expected him to, and without any motivation or preparation for it, he took out a loan for 20,000$, spent a year trying to deal with an unwanted college education, dropped out. Needless to say, it was a regretted experience for him. Students who participate in College Now had a 10% higher first-year retention rate (82.3%) entering the CUNY system in the 2003 school year than did students who did not participate in College Now (72.5%) (Colton, T., 2006).


Although this seems like a worthwhile effort on the part of the CUNY system, the NYC Department of Education seems to consider it a lower priority. According to a report by Tara Colton on the insufficient collaboration between the Department of Education and CUNY in 2006, “CUNY receives almost no financial support from DOE for College Now [programs],” (Colton, T., 2006). In the face of this negativity, it seems that despite the budget cuts from the DOE in regards to College Now and other early-enrollment programs, our inner city schools are seeing the benefits and continue to hold the College Now process and experience in high regards. More and more students in my school, as it is expanding, are taking advantage of the opportunity. Students are saving money on a no-cost college course program, they are experiencing the college classroom and deciding if it is right for them, they are exposed to the academic and personal skills necessary for success in such an environment, and are using these skills in the high school classroom and setting an example for their peers. I am a huge proponent for the College Now program. I have seen in my students how inspiring and motivating College Now is for them and the focus it instills. I hope next year to become further involved with the college process and College Now in my school and to push students to push themselves.

References

Bailey, Thomas R., Hughes, Katherine L., Karp, Melinda M.. What Role Can Dual Enrollment Programs Play in Easing the Transition between High School and Postsecondary Education?. Washington, D.C.. Office of Vocational and Adult Education. (Retrieved from ERIC, Accession Number ED465090).

Colton, Tara. (2006). Ready or Not: Insufficient Collaboration between Department of Education and CUNY Could Hinder Effectiveness and Future Growth of Programs Designed to Improve Students' College Readiness Levels. New York, NY: Center for an Urban Future. (Retrieved by ERIC, Accession Number ED491637).


Karp, Melinda M., Calcagno, Juan Carlos, Hughes, Katherine L., Jeong, Dong W. et al. (2007). The Postsecondary Achievement of Participants in Dual Enrollment: "An Analysis of Student Outcomes in Two States". (Project No. V051A990006). St. Paul, MN: National Research Center for Career and Technical Education, University of Minnesota. (Retrieved by ERIC, Accession Number ED498661).