Concurrent classes pay off

At my high school in 2015, four students took college classes concurrently. This year, those four are the only students who will either graduate from college with a four-year degree or remain enrolled in college. They are four students out of eight who attended college and 17 in the entire class.

This situation isn't isolated to tiny Butner. By taking concurrent classes, a student is more prepared for college, but in Oklahoma impoverished students face too many barriers to doing so.

The program director for concurrent classes at Oklahoma State University says concurrent enrollment "is absolutely instrumental in collegiate success.” Multiple studies have found that concurrent classes can increase students' understanding of the difficulty of college-level coursework and increase the number of students who go on to attend college, and that 88% of community college dual enrollment students continued in college after high school, and most earned a degree or transferred within six years. The director of the FOCUS program at Seminole State said concurrent classes are very helpful; they “make the student feel more comfortable entering college and staying enrolled and, therefore graduating.” But systemic barriers prevent the students who would benefit most from accessing these programs.

My high school principal in Butner told me he has witnessed students choose not to attend concurrent classes due to the lack of transportation. “Most families only have one car or can't afford the gas, or don't have a driver's license” he told me. One might think, "Why can't they take online classes?" Well, high school juniors can expect to pay upwards of $700 in tuition and fees for the classes alone, not to mention the cost of books and supplies. If low-income students can't afford the gas needed to get to class, how can they afford hundreds of dollars for an online class?

At Butner, as well as many other places in rural Oklahoma, poverty makes continuing education virtually impossible — no matter how good a student's performance. Concurrent classes can make the transition to college less stressful and give students the chance to understand the structure of college courses.

The many barriers can make college a less attainable goal for otherwise brilliant lowincome students. If program costs for dual enrollment were lower, more pupils could extend their education. Oklahoma needs to protect its future by ensuring all students of the future have an advanced education. Without doing so, the people of Oklahoma are not properly recognized by their government. Investing in impoverished students could create a ripple effect and create great hope for our society.