High school students would have more opportunities to earn college credits and get a jumpstart on their future careers under bipartisan, bicameral legislation announced by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and U.S. Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY) on Friday.
The Making Education Affordable and Accessible (MEAA) Act would provide grants that help higher education institutions establish dual and concurrent enrollment and early/middle college programs that enable high school students to earn college credits before graduation. Grants could be used to cover students’ tuition, fees and books.
“This legislation will help reduce the financial strain on Louisiana families and help students receive the quality education they can use to excel,” Cassidy said. “In order to bring high-skilled, well-paying jobs with good benefits to Louisiana and our nation, we need a highly capable workforce. This bill provides a next step in training American workers for the jobs of tomorrow.”
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, early college students on average earn 36 college credits, and 30 percent of early college students earn an associate’s degree.
The new legislation would also provide grants to support the professional development of teachers in dual and concurrent enrollment programs and would extend additional support for course design, the course approval process, community outreach and student counseling.
“We care about expanding educational opportunities that would lower the cost of college for hardworking families,” Reed said. “Dual and concurrent enrollment programs offer students quality educational options that will prepare them for meaningful careers. This bill is a bipartisan, common sense higher education solution and I am proud to work with the other sponsors of this legislation to ease the burden of paying for college.”
A coalition of educational organizations support MEAA, which Cassidy and Reed introduced with U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Al Franken (D-MN), and U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO).
Kris Amundson, executive director of the National Association of State Boards of Education, said, dual enrollment is a proven high school and college completion strategy and an important tool for strengthening the U.S. workforce.
Early college high schools allow students to gain a critical academic and financial head start on higher education, said Stephen Tremaine, vice president of Bard Early Colleges, “and they significantly increase students’ chances of completing a college degree, and at a greatly reduced cost.”
KnowledgeWorks President and CEO Judy Peppler added that by providing grants for different learning options, MEAA will make college a reality for hundreds of thousands of low-income, first-generation students.