Dual Goals: The Academic Achievement of College Prep Students with Career Majors

This study examines the feasibility of preparing students for both college and careers by analyzing data from a school reform model in which students are encouraged to take rigorous college preparatory courses while also focusing on career concentrations. This study draws upon data from that program, High Schools that Work, to explore the degree to which such “dual enrollers” are able to also attain academic results that are similar to the results of students who focus exclusively on preparing for college. Findings suggest that, collectively, “dual enrollers” achieve lower 12th-grade test scores than their college prep peers. However, these overall results mask the fact that dual enrollers in certain career concentrations actually outperform or equal those who focus exclusively on preparing for college.