Evaluation of Increasing Dual Enrollment Access and Success (IDEAS) Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Grant

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High school students laughing together in class

Dual enrollment is a proven strategy for improving educational outcomes in both high school and college. It allows high school students to take college courses and earn college credit before graduation, which has the potential to ease the transition between high school and college and reduce the time to college degree completion. However, researchers have noted disparities in access to dual enrollment opportunities such that students of color and students from low-income families are less likely to participate in dual enrollment nationwide.

In 2024, Jobs for the Future (JFF) received an Educational Innovation and Research (EIR) grant from the U.S. Department of Education to partner with up to eight community colleges to enhance dual enrollment opportunities for high school students. 

Through the IDEAS project (Increasing Dual Enrollment Access and Success), JFF will provide community colleges with up to five years of funding and ongoing technical assistance to create and maintain Dual Enrollment Hubs that will increase equitable access to and success in dual enrollment.
 

AIR Evaluation of the IDEAS Project

AIR is the independent evaluator of the IDEAS Project and will: 

  • Conduct an implementation evaluation and provide JFF with qualitative information and formative feedback regarding how schools and colleges are implementing the program;
  • Estimate the impact of IDEAS on the completion of college courses during high school, students’ progression to the next grade level, high school graduation, college enrollment after high school, and postsecondary degree or certificate completion; and
  • Estimate the cost-effectiveness of the IDEAS model, including calculating the incremental cost per unit of impact on students’ high school graduation and college enrollment after high school.