Dual Enrollment Fortification

Summer DuE Program

Lead Organization

American River College

Who engaged in this project?

Aspire, NUSD, Natomas Charter, TRUSD, SJUSD, GCC, VIE, Westlake Charter, ITY, and Break Through Sacramento.

Total Funding Received

$127,400

Type of Funding Received

Workgroup Proposal

Who were the intended beneficiaries?

Students of color, low-income learners, and first-generation students

How many students were served?

3,500 students

This enhances the dual enrollment program by fostering a support network among high schools, students, and faculty to help students succeed in college-level courses.

Building a wraparound ecosystem

ARC has a vested interest in the success of its Dual Enrollment program, which was founded on building strong relationships with partner high schools. The program promoted supportive relationships between new and continuing students, parents, staff, and faculty.

By building a comprehensive infrastructure that engaged faculty, success coaches, students, and parents, the project created a wraparound ecosystem that fortified the educational experience of high-priority populations. This work focused on sponsoring events for collaboration on best practices to cultivate robust, academically rich, inclusive learning environments, strengthen communication, and coordinate efforts to prepare students for college-level work.

What were some successes?

We were able to hire a summer counselor who supported the educational plans for our summer program participants. We also hired a faculty coordinator to support professional development for our program faculty.

Lessons learned

We faced a few logistical challenges, including scheduling conflicts during the academic year and securing transportation for summer programming, both of which created barriers to participation for some students. These challenges significantly impact student participation. Because of growing demand for more pathways and increased course interest, we may not be able to staff every section due to faculty loads.

Our insight for others in the Collaborative: be patient and plan each pathway to allow for expansion, and consult with department chairs and deans on every request so they are aware of the needs of K–12 partners.