ward a high school diploma so that high school graduation is not delayed. These programs enable students to attend nearby colleges, sometimes at reduced tuition rates. State departments of education and/or local school boards certify the majority of dual-enrollment programs. In most cases, students attend the college as full-time students and use the college credits obtained to meet high school graduation requirements. At least 38 states have formal dual-enrollment agreements between public high schools and community colleges (Reisberg, 1998), and according to data gathered by the State Higher Education Executive Officers (Russell, 1998), the phenomenon shows no signs of abating. Tech Prep,⁴ 2+2,⁵ and middle-college high school⁶ programs are usually built around dual-enrollment agreements. Yet a recent report published by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (Johnstone and Del Genio, 2001) finds fault with a number of these dual-enrollment arrangements, including those between 2-year colleges and high schools.

Concurrent-enrollment programs allow high school students to take courses at local colleges or universities for credit while still in high school. One key difference between college courses taught in high school and concurrent enrollment is that students in the latter programs enroll in courses either taught by college faculty at the college’s campus or delivered to the high school site by the college, whether through visits by faculty or electronically. In some cases, school districts cover a portion of the tuition costs, especially if they are unable to meet the educational needs of particular