Virginia Foxx: “One silver lining of the pandemic is that it pushed more high school students to take dual enrollment classes. With the…”

“One silver lining of the pandemic is that it pushed more high school students to take dual enrollment classes. With the ever-rising cost of postsecondary education, dual enrollment programs are a great way for high school students to save on college costs. These programs allow advanced students to get a head start on their futures. This is the case at Jefferson State Community College in Birmingham, Alabama, where high schoolers made up a third of the student body, according to NPR. These students are benefiting from extensive State expansion of a dual enrollment program. The more education innovation we have, the better. Madam Speaker, we know that if a high school student takes at least one college-level course, that student is three times more likely to graduate from college than if the student didn't take a course. We should give students as many opportunities as possible to shape their own education experience, and encouraging dual enrollment is one great way to do just that. {time} 1015 Filling the Skills Gap”