Minnesota Paper Calls For More Access To Dual-Credit Programs

An editorial in the Albert Lea (MN) Tribune (3/13) calls on Minnesota state legislators to expand access to programs in which high school students can "save time and money by earning college credits that count toward their high-school diplomas." The piece suggests that such programs could narrow the racial achievement gap, noting that one "bill in the Minnesota Senate, for example, opens college opportunities to younger high school students, ninth- and 10th-graders, and those who may not meet current academic cutoffs - opportunities considered especially meaningful for low-income or first-generation college students who might not see themselves as college bound." The piece notes that Education Secretary Arne Duncan "visited Irondale High school in New Brighton, home of a program designed to give a broader array of students access to college classes." Duncan is quoted praising the program.