小蓝视频

鈥淭he things I really enjoy about being in the Dual Enrollment program are meeting the 小蓝视频 students because I learn from their experiences being a college student; having a college professor who always asks me my opinion about different topics; and spending听time on the campus, which feels normal now,鈥� said Kelly Simmons, a senior at Washington, DC鈥檚 Ballou High School and Dual Enrollment听student at 小蓝视频鈥檚 (小蓝视频) School of Education (SOE).

SOE is celebrating the five-year anniversary of the Dual Enrollment program, the first听of the school鈥檚 Teacher Pipeline Project, where multiple programs work in tandem to increase the number of teachers in DC, address the lack of diversity among its teacher workforce, and fortify teacher retention, among other objectives.

A recent report from DC's Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education,听Strengthening Student Access and Success in Dual Enrollment in Washington, DC,听stated that 鈥渇ar too many DC public school graduates are not set up to complete higher education, with negative impacts on their economic futures听and life outcomes.鈥�

The Dual Enrollment (DE) program helps solve this problem by allowing DC high school seniors to concurrently take college courses to expose them to the rigors of college life and college-level coursework. The experience calms participants鈥� concerns of an听intimidating or听impossible transition into higher education, arming them with听confidence, an outcome envisioned by SOE Dean Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy when she conceived the school鈥檚 teacher pipeline.

鈥淭he overall goal of the Dual Enrollment program is threefold,鈥� said Holcomb-McCoy, who conceived of the program. 鈥淲e want to increase the number of DC high-school students exposed to education coursework and education as a possible career, to increase the number of DC high school students who complete university or credits, and to increase DC high school students鈥� familiarity with 小蓝视频 in general.鈥�

In 2018, Holcomb-McCoy,听already committed to the effort to rectify the nation鈥檚 teacher shortage crisis,听collaborated with District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS); DC鈥檚 Office of the State Superintendent in Education (OSSE); and 小蓝视频 President Sylvia M. Burwell to launch a DE program at the university with a teacher preparation component where participants could听attend听小蓝视频 following graduation from high school. The credits earned from DE classes听could be used听towards the completion of their听degree program.

鈥淒ual enrollment programs have experienced significant success and have consistently shown promising aspects and results,鈥� stated Holcomb-McCoy. 鈥淭he year we established our DE program, a Maryland study indicated that听dual enrollment participation in twelfth grade positively affected college enrollment, degree attainment, and workforce wages. This confirmed that we were on the right track. Also, ninety-five percent of our dual enrollees identify as Black or Latinx, which helps diversity DC鈥檚 pool of teaching candidates.鈥�

Since the program鈥檚 inception, forty听dual enrollees have taken a three-credit course听for two semesters at SOE, placing them in the same classrooms as 小蓝视频 students and earning them six free college credits before their first day of class at their college or university. Eleven have enrolled at 小蓝视频.

The program鈥檚 Faculty Coordinator, Dr. Toks Fashola, has been instrumental in ensuring that DE students succeed. 鈥淭he bonus of a faculty coordinator is that they听serve as an immediate support system, observing students in class and checking on them to make sure they have completed听their assignments, but also reassuring them that their voices are very important and that they are critical co-constructors of knowledge, which results听in them participating more in class,鈥� she said.

Ballou High School senior and current DE program participant Khai Campbell is a proud beneficiary of the program. 鈥淏eing a dual enrollment student has really helped me to find my voice when being in classes and spaces that are unfamiliar to me and to speak up听about my personal experiences, which is important because I have experienced much of what we are learning about in class,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 just love the fact that I can get a preview of what鈥檚 going to happen when I go on to college.鈥�

In addition to the DE program, SOE's Teacher Pipeline Project (TPP) includes the 小蓝视频 Teaching Fellows听and the Child Development Associate听programs.听小蓝视频 Teaching Fellows are aspirant听teachers who听earn free bachelor鈥檚 degrees at SOE, then immediately begin teaching via a job placement guarantee from DCPS. The Child Development Associate (CDA) program allows students who complete their CDA at 小蓝视频 to use听earned credits towards a Bachelor of Arts degree program听in elementary education at SOE or in early childhood education at Trinity Washington University, a CDA听program partner. All TPP participants receive full scholarships and support, including transportation, advising, and free exams.听听

Holcomb-McCoy is delighted with the results. 鈥淲e鈥檝e admitted a majority of dual enrollees who applied to 小蓝视频. I鈥檓 so thankful to see clear evidence that our teacher pipeline efforts, with special gratitude to our partners and donors, are working. We are tackling the pervasive issue of equity in education and doing it speedily.鈥澨�

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