CTE-focused Dual Enrollment: Participation and Outcomes

Recent policy efforts have attempted to increase the number of dual enrollment courses offered within Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways, and there is evidence to suggest that this practice is widespread. However, there is very little research on student participation in CTE dual enrollment and on its impacts. This study examines participation in the CTE Dual Enrollment Pathway in North Carolina, finding that about 9 percent of North Carolina students participated in CTE dual enrollment courses in eleventh or twelfth grade and disparities in participation among subgroups were less than for college transfer dual enrollment courses. Using a propensity-score weighing approach that compared outcomes for participating students with a weighted group of nonparticipants, the study found that participation in CTE dual enrollment was positively associated with college credits earned in high school, graduation from high school, and overall enrollment in college within one year after high school. The study also examined results by subgroup.