Sen. Kaine works to expand access to dual enrollment, early college programs

by Caitlyn Frolo

Tue, April 11th 2023, 6:45 PM UTC

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 28: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan and plans for future counterterrorism operations on Capitol Hill on September 28, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON D.C. (WSET) — U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) is taking steps to try to make higher education more affordable for millions across the country.

Kaine joined Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), John Boozman (R-AR), and Mike Braun (R-IN) on Tuesday in reintroducing bipartisan legislation to make higher education more accessible and affordable by expanding opportunities for high school students to obtain college credit.

The Making Education Affordable and Accessible Act (MEAA) would expand the use of existing federal grants available for higher education institutions to support dual or concurrent enrollment initiatives and early college high school programs.

“The skyrocketing costs of higher education have put opportunities out of reach for too many students and hurt our economy. I’m committed to lowering those costs so Virginia students can achieve their goals without being saddled with debt,” said Kaine. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan legislation to help make higher education more affordable by increasing access to dual enrollment and early college programs to allow more high school students to earn college credit.”

The Making Education Affordable and Accessible Act (MEAA) would also allow federal funding from the Higher Education Act Title VII Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) to be used by institutions of higher education to:

Carry out dual or concurrent enrollment programs as well as early college high school programming;
Provide educators in these programs with professional development;
Assist students in the program in covering education-related costs such as tuition and fees, books, and transportation; and
Support activities such as course design, course approval processes, community outreach, student counseling and support services.

Concurrent enrollment provides high school students the opportunity to take college-credit-bearing courses taught by college-approved high school teachers, while dual enrollment allows students to enroll and take classes at two separate institutions. Early college high schools are located on college campuses or within schools, respectively, and allow students to begin working toward an associate’s degree while they complete the necessary coursework for a high school diploma. This model often includes a 13th year to allow students to complete their associate’s degree.

You can view the full text of the bill by clicking here.

Loading ...