Warner, Portman push access to dual enrollment for low-, middle-income students

U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Rob Portman (R-OH) led a bipartisan group of fourteen senators today in calling on Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to continue the dual enrollment Pell experiment that the Department began conducting last year.

Under the Department’s experiment, an estimated 10,000 eligible high school students taking college-credit courses will have access for the first time to Federal Pell Grants. Two participating sites are located in Virginia: Central Virginia Community College in Lynchburg and Germanna Community College in Fredericksburg.

“Students who get a head start on college tend to perform much better than their peers, but it’s a simple fact that lower-income students face unique financial challenges in jumpstarting their college educations,” said Sen. Warner. “Central Virginia and Germanna Community Colleges are leading the way in promoting our understanding of how broader access to the Pell Grant program will help push eligible dual enrollment students one step closer to college completion and success.”

“The cost of college tuition and fees continues to rise. Early college high schools can play a critical role to help students get a head start on college,” said. Sen. Portman. “Kids from low-income households can flourish in these schools because of the wrap-around services and the focus on being prepared for college. I strongly support expanding access to early college programs and urge Secretary DeVos to continue investing in the pilot to use Pell grants to support these schools across the country.”

In addition to Sens. Warner and Portman, the letter was also signed by U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH), Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), and Michael F. Bennet (D-CO).

Sen. Warner, along with Sen. Portman, has also championed legislation that would permanently expand Pell Grant eligibility to early college high school students, and led efforts to expand access to dual and concurrent enrollment in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

A copy of the Senators’ letter is available here.