LSUE to develop dual enrollment program

LSU Eunice was selected as an experimental site for the U.S. Department of Education’s new program geared toward expanding access and increasing college graduation rates through dual enrollment programs, which allow high school students to take courses for college credit, an LSU news release stated.
Forty-four postsecondary institutions – primarily two-year colleges – across 23 states will be invited to participate in this effort, which will allow high school students access to Federal Pell Grants.
Education Under Secretary Ted Mitchell said, “Dual enrollment programs are powerful ways to introduce rigorous coursework to students and show these students that they are smart enough, talented enough, and prepared enough to tackle higher education. Dual enrollment programs are game changers for all students – especially those are first-generation or from low-income families.”
Mitchell also said in the news release, “Through this experiment, we hope to learn how the availability of Pell Grants affects student participation and success in dual enrollment programs.”
Louisiana ranks 49th in the nation in terms of degree attainment, and studies have shown that individuals with a college degree can earn up to a million dollars more than those with a high school diploma over the course of a career.
LSUE will partner will St. Landry Parish School Board to begin a new dual enrollment healthcare academy for high school students interested in science, medical or allied healthcare careers. The purpose of this academy would be to increase the number of underrepresented, rural area students achieving a post-secondary degree in science guaranteed to transfer to any LSU institution or other Louisiana public university.
LSU Eunice Chancellor Kimberly A. Russell said, “This pilot program will allow students in the St. Landry Parish area the opportunity to begin their college careers early when they otherwise might not have been able to do so. Their success will greatly impact the parish and our local communities.”
The Academy will serve all St. Landry Parish high school students. The parish is home to 83,000 residents with a median household income of $32,000. Twenty-eight percent are living below the poverty line, and 37 percent of those individuals are under the age of 18. Federal Pell Grants are available to students from families with annual incomes of $50,000 or less.
For more information, visit http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/fact-sheet-expanding-college-acces....