DePaul University Via Sapientiae College of Education Theses and Dissertations College of Education Spring 6-2020 STATE-FUNDED DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAM: ONE STATE’S PERSONALIZATION APPROACH TO INCREASE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES AND REDUCE DROPOUT RATES Debra H. Harris DePaul University Follow this and additional works at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/soe_etd Part of the Educational Leadership Commons, and the Secondary Education Commons Recommended Citation Harris, Debra H., "STATE-FUNDED DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAM: ONE STATE’S PERSONALIZATION APPROACH TO INCREASE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES AND REDUCE DROPOUT RATES" (2020). College of Education Theses and Dissertations. 183. https://via.library.depaul.edu/soe_etd/183 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Education at Via Sapientiae. It has been accepted for inclusion in College of Education Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Via Sapientiae. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DePaul University College of Education STATE-FUNDED DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAM: ONE STATE’S PERSONALIZATION APPROACH TO INCREASE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES AND REDUCE DROPOUT RATES A Dissertation in Education with a Concentration in Educational Leadership by Debra H. Harris © 2020 Debra H. Harris Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education June 2020 iv ABSTRACT In December 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) asked each state to design a plan to hold accountable their State Education Agency to provide flexible pathways to college and career with a commitment to ensure personalized learning and equitable opportunities for high school learners. With decades of effort to provide personalization through college and career pathways, the Vermont House and Senate Committees on Education holds its Agency of Education (VAOE) responsible for reporting how the Agency increases high school graduation rates and reduces dropout rates through the state-funded dual enrollment program. As State Education Agencies implement their ESSA plans, the literature provides a historical perspective of personalized learning, college and career readiness, and the dual enrollment pathway adopted by all 50 states. As a quantitative study of secondary data from the VAOE and the New England Secondary Schools Consortium (NESSC), this study explored the effect of program outcomes for subgroup dual enrollment voucher usage for gender, Special Education, Economically Disadvantaged, and the English Language Learner. The research further examined the number of high schools that participated in the state-funded dual enrollment program and its effects on graduation and dropout rates. The evidence for voucher usage and an increase in the number of participating high schools was not strong enough to suggest a positive effect exists to influence state graduation rates or reduce dropout rates. However, this study found that a decrease, rather than an increase in the number of participating high schools was a statistically significant predictor to reduce the state’s dropout rate. The insights gained through this study and its implications on dual enrollment configuration remain fruitful for future research. Therefore, it is only through continued examination of the nuances of state-sponsored dual enrollment programs and their configuration that state policymakers, State Education Agencies, high school leadership, and community college and university decision-makers can personalize learning through this pathway, and prepare its community of learners now and into the future. Keywords: dual enrollment, State Education Agencies, Every Student Succeeds Act, graduation rates, dropout rates v Table of Contents List of Figures .............................................................................................................................................. ix List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................ x Chapter I: Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1 Overview of Education Policy and Vermont’s Flexible Pathways to Graduation .................................... 1 Vermont’s Plan for Education .................................................................................................................. 2 Context of the Study .................................................................................................................................. 4 One State Education Agency’s Road to Address Dropout Rates .............................................................. 6 The Significance of the Problem under Study ........................................................................................... 7 Purpose and Research Question of the Study ........................................................................................... 9 Definition of Terms and Concepts............................................................................................................. 9 Personalized Learning and Learner-Centered Environment ............................................................... 10 Flexible Pathways ............................................................................................................................... 12 Personalized Learning Plan ................................................................................................................. 13 College and Career Readiness ............................................................................................................. 14 Researcher Perspective ........................................................................................................................... 15 Paradigm and Philosophical Orientation ............................................................................................... 15 Chapter I Summary ................................................................................................................................. 16 Chapter II: Review of Related Literature .................................................................................................... 18 Section 1: College and Career Readiness – An American Perspective .................................................. 18 Section 2: The History of Personalized Learning and Learning Plans .................................................. 23 2000 – 2010: Personalized Learning and Technology Confront Traditional Approaches .................. 24 Personalized Learning vs. Differentiated Instruction .......................................................................... 25 Personalized Learning Takes Shape ................................................................................................... 27 Personalized Learning Plans and Learner Engagement ...................................................................... 29 Current State of Personalized Learning .............................................................................................. 31 Section 3: Dual Enrollment – One Flexible Pathway Choice ................................................................. 32 vi Clarifying Dual Enrollment ................................................................................................................ 34 Concurrent Enrollment ........................................................................................................................ 35 Dual Enrollment Program Configuration ............................................................................................ 36 Challenges Ahead for State-Funded Dual Enrollment Program ......................................................... 40 Chapter II Summary ................................................................................................................................ 41 Chapter III: Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 43 Research Questions, Hypotheses, and Statistical Tests .......................................................................... 43 Secondary Data Source and Program Outcomes (Variables) ................................................................ 44 Research Sample ..................................................................................................................................... 46 Program Outcomes ................................................................................................................................. 48 Data Considerations and Limitations ..................................................................................................... 50 Reporting Years and Enrollment ......................................................................................................... 50 Subgroup Participation in the Dual Enrollment Program ................................................................... 52 Eligible Students based on Attending High School Classification ..................................................... 53 Dropout Rate Calculation (NESSC or NCES) .................................................................................... 54 Secondary Data Analysis Plan ................................................................................................................ 55 Step 1 – Data Validation