Giving Compass' Take:

• Dual enrollment programs allow high schoolers to take college courses before they pursue post-secondary education in order to obtain credits. 

• What are the barriers for some students participating in dual enrollment programs? 

• Read about who is really benefitting from these programs. 

East Side High School in Newark, New Jersey, lets students who pass a qualifying exam and are enrolled in an early college program take up to two 80-minute college classes after the school day, helping them gain free college credits before they even graduate high school, Chalkbeat reports.

The program, which is operated in partnership with a local community college, covers the cost of transportation, books and tuition for high school students and includes a required college success seminar that helps students prepare for the realities of college.

Community colleges are natural partners in this effort. Some states are promoting concepts such as early college high school programs that allow students to gain both a high school diploma and an associate degree over the course of a five-year high school experience.

These credits can usually substitute for similar high school credits, thus streamlining the process, and most are part of articulation agreements with state universities. As a result, students know the course will be accepted for college credit. With the state's support, the courses are free and don't place a burden on school districts.

Financially, these arrangements can often benefit community colleges, which can justify hiring more employees and often see the benefit of increased enrollment after high school. It can also benefit school districts by allowing them to offer more competitive options for students and parents who may be leaning toward charter school, private school or home school enrollment.  Students benefit, in any case, from greater support in college transition, lower college costs because of credits earned and greater scholarship opportunities.

Read the full article about dual enrollment programs by Amelia Harper at Education Dive