Follow The Money

Make no mistake, this is mostly about the money.

Update: That was intended in the spirit of “it’s all about the kids…” I think dual enrollment has a lot of promise but big turf wars…

3 Replies to “Follow The Money”

  1. Why do you think that? Of course funding is necessary for programs like this, but don’t you believe dual credit classes are a good thing for our brighter children?

  2. Dual credit courses can absolutely catapult bright, motivated students who don’t have the patience for the time-sucking monotony of high school. Those who can would rather dive into meatier or more intriguing course material than sit through another spirit assembly are maximizing their learning time by going the dual-credit route. The AP program is losing its cache on college campuses across the country, and many universities are rejecting AP tests scores for credit, siting concerns about the courses not being equivalent to intro courses on campus. (But it’s mostly a money issue.) In my book, The World Is Your Campus: Skip the SAT, Save Thousands On Tuition, and Get An Outrageously Relevant Global Education (due in spring by Random House), I include a number of stories from students who have benefited tremendendously from dual-enrollment programs–they’ve soared past their peers academically and saved thousands of dollars in the process. The AP program is a cash cow that has outlived its relevance–IB is a far better option in many ways, not the least of which is its international focus (a far more compelling package than rigor alone). Bottom line: AP isn’t the be-all end-all, and savvy students (and their parents) are already discovering and leveraging far better options for both academic and personal growth.

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