Competition and community: exploring the inter-organizational relationships underlying dual credit programs.

Abstract

Dual credit programs, in which a student takes a course that fulfills both high school and postsecondary requirements, are one method employed to increase the number of high school students matriculating into a postsecondary program. This study investigates how postsecondary institutions and high schools work together to develop student access to dual credit programs. Implementing this arrangement requires establishing new relationships between high schools and postsecondary institutions. Using qualitative methods, the research explores how institutions involved in a dual credit partnership manage the arrangements and are affected by them. Interviews were conducted with postsecondary faculty and administration, high school teachers, counselors, and administrators. As a result of the investigation, a framework focusing on the following elements of an inter-organizational relationship is proposed: Curriculum, collaboration, support services, and organizational structure. The study's findings suggest that when the curriculum for a dual credit program is jointly developed between the high school and postsecondary faculty, and is coupled with strong leadership in both institutions, dual credit programs have the ability to serve a wider range of students than traditionally continue on to postsecondary settings.