Beyond Random Acts: Rethinking Dual Enrollment as a Pathway Strategy
This post is part of a five-part series introducing Future Ready Pathways and exploring how school systems can redesign learning to better prepare today’s modern learners. In this post, we turn to Pillar 2: Dual Enrollment, and why access to college credit alone isn’t enough without intentional alignment to a coherent, equitable pathway.
Dual enrollment isn’t remotely new; it dates back to the 1950s, when early programs were designed to challenge disengaged high school seniors who were ready for what was next. By the mid-1990s, dual enrollment began gaining national traction as a strategy to expand college access, reduce costs, and accelerate postsecondary attainment. Since then, participation has grown rapidly, and today, some form of dual enrollment exists in many, if not most, high schools.
And yet, despite decades of growth, one problem remains remarkably persistent.
In far too many districts, dual enrollment still operates as a collection of disconnected opportunities rather than a coherent strategy. A course here. An elective there. A motivated learner who figures out how to navigate the system. Credits are earned, but often without a clear connection to a larger plan. Momentum stalls. Equity gaps widen. And the learners who benefit most are frequently those who already have the knowledge, advocacy, or social capital to take advantage of what’s offered.
In most high schools, dual enrollment isn’t the only “college-in-high-school” option available. Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and other accelerated pathways have long played an essential role in expanding rigor and access to advanced coursework. But too often, access to those opportunities in particular is uneven, influenced by prior tracking decisions, prerequisite structures, or perceptions about who is “ready.” For many learners, especially first-generation students or those historically furthest from opportunity, dual enrollment can offer a more flexible, supportive, and relevant on-ramp to postsecondary learning when intentionally designed.
That’s not a critique of dual enrollment itself. It’s a callout to reevaluate how it’s most often been implemented.
For too long, we’ve accepted what can best be described as “random acts of dual enrollment,” well-intentioned offerings that focus on credit accumulation rather than purpose, alignment, or outcomes. If dual enrollment is going to live up to its promise, it has to move beyond access alone. It has to be intentionally designed as a pathway strategy.
When implemented with intention and scaled thoughtfully, dual enrollment does far more than give learners a head start on college coursework. It reduces the time and cost required to earn college credits. It strengthens alignment between high school, postsecondary education, and workforce expectations. And it becomes a powerful accelerator within a larger system, rather than a standalone option on a transcript. For some learners, it offers something even more foundational: the first time they see themselves as capable of succeeding in college-level work.
That’s the shift Future Ready Pathways is calling for. Not simply more dual enrollment. More intentional dual enrollment.
What Dual Enrollment Should Do
When dual enrollment is treated as an intentional pathway strategy, the question shifts from “How many credits can learners earn?” to “Where are these credits taking them?”
Intentional dual enrollment isn’t about checking a box or expanding a menu of options. It’s about designing experiences that move learners forward with purpose. At its best, dual enrollment helps learners make tangible progress toward a degree, credential, or clearly defined postsecondary goal while they’re still in high school. It aligns high school coursework with postsecondary expectations. And it provides learners with early proof that they can succeed in college-level work.
That alignment matters. Too often, learners earn college credit that doesn’t transfer, doesn’t stack, or doesn’t meaningfully connect to what comes next. The result is frustration instead of acceleration. Dual enrollment becomes something learners did, not something that actually advanced them.
Designed well, dual enrollment does the opposite. Courses are selected and sequenced intentionally. Credits are aligned to high-value pathways, not just availability. Learners understand how what they’re taking now connects to where they’re headed next. With advising embedded throughout the experience, learners can make informed choices rather than reactive ones.
Intentional design enables dual enrollment to move from an opportunity to an equity lever.
When access to advanced coursework depends on test scores, prior tracking, or informal gatekeeping, inequities are reinforced. But when dual enrollment is intentionally designed with supports, flexibility, and a clear purpose, it can expand access to college-level learning for learners who have historically been excluded. It can serve first-generation learners, learners balancing work or family responsibilities, and learners who may not see themselves reflected in traditional accelerated pathways.
The most effective systems ask thoughtful questions upfront:
- What credentials or degrees does this course advance?
- Who currently has access, and who doesn’t?
- What supports are in place to ensure learners don’t just enroll, but succeed?
When these types of questions guide design, dual enrollment becomes more than credit. It becomes momentum.
You can see this shift clearly at Atlantic County Institute of Technology in New Jersey, where dual enrollment isn’t treated as an isolated opportunity, but as an intentional extension of clearly defined career pathways. Learners don’t just take college courses because they’re available; they take them because they actually matter. Dual enrollment is aligned to specific programs of study, sequenced to build toward industry credentials and postsecondary degrees, and paired with advising that helps learners understand how each course advances their long-term goals. The result is momentum, not confusion. Learners leave high school with meaningful credit, reduced time and cost to completion, and a clear sense of how their high school experience connects to what comes next. ACIT’s approach reinforces that when dual enrollment is designed intentionally, it stops being about access to college credit and becomes about progress toward a future.
To help districts move from intention to action, Future Ready Pathways includes a Dual Enrollment Program Readiness Checklist. This resource helps leadership teams examine where dual enrollment fits within their broader pathway strategy, identify gaps between credit and completion, and make clearer decisions about sequencing, access, and supports. The goal isn’t to simply add more courses, but to ensure the ones you offer truly move learners forward with purpose.
At this point, the question isn’t whether districts should offer dual enrollment. Most already do. The real question is whether dual enrollment opportunities are intentionally designed to help learners move forward with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Random acts of dual enrollment may generate credits, but they rarely generate momentum. They rely on awareness, advocacy, and often, timing. Intentional dual enrollment, on the other hand, is built on alignment, advising, and equity by design. It asks where each course leads, who it serves, and how it fits within a larger pathway that prepares learners for what comes next.
This is the work of leadership. It requires moving beyond availability and toward coherence, beyond access and toward impact. When dual enrollment is treated as a pathway strategy rather than an add-on, it becomes a powerful lever for reducing time and cost, expanding opportunity, and helping each learner see themselves as capable of succeeding beyond high school. The goal isn’t to do more. It’s to do better, so that college credit earned in high school truly counts toward a future worth pursuing.
Need support turning exploration into a system?
All4Ed’s team partners with districts and states to design and implement Future Ready Pathways from the ground up. From early career-connected exploration and advising systems to dual enrollment, work-based learning, and credential alignment, we provide practical tools, frameworks, and hands-on guidance to move from vision to action.
