Earlier this month, high school teachers, counselors and administrators from several districts and counties were able to join college faculty, student services and administrators at the Dual Enrollment Summit at Woodland Community College.
Dr. Sandra Fowler, interim vice president of Woodland College, planned to bring everyone together for a while.
Participants were welcomed along with Dr. Fowler, Director of Dual Enrollment Michael Minnick and Dual Outreach Coordinator Patrick Donatien.
Event partners Dr. Latonya Williams, dean of Instructional Support and Services for the Community College Chancellor’s Office, and Naomi Castro of the Career Ladders Project provided their insights and facilitated data and equity activities with the table teams.
A panel of dual enrollment students from Pioneer High School in the Woodland Unified School District shared their experiences with dual enrollment.
“Our interim vice president, Dr. Fowler, has had this idea for a while,” said Dr. Candice Stafford Banks, College of Agriculture and Dual Faculty Coordinator. “We are so happy to finally have everyone together, and I think everyone enjoyed hearing the students’ perspective as well.”
The summit featured Wheatland Union High School’s dual enrollment program, presented by Carol Kiser, who recently received the California School Board Association’s Dual Enrollment Equity Golden Buzzer Award.
Keizer spoke about developing pathways to further college- and career-aligned education and shared the journey to develop the model.
“I want to encourage schools and districts,” she said. “It took us five years to get here. It started with a ‘Focus, Stay Focused’ curriculum and plan for students, and we developed it over time.”
“It is helpful for these students to have basic knowledge and access to it,” Keizer continued. “Some of our students start in high hourly wage roles as high school seniors. Other students entered their local community college because they were about to complete their associate’s degree!”
“The partner model for this event was really key because we wanted to bring resources to our service area,” said Edwin Ortega, North Far North K-12 track coordinator.
“This event is amazing,” said Tanya Meyer, a technical assistant for K-12 students at North Far North. “It helps everyone realize what is possible for students.”
“Seeing so many school teams stick around afterwards to discuss a way to expand their offerings was really encouraging,” said Principal Michael Minnick. “The students are the beneficiaries, and we now plan to follow up this spring with each school to see how we can meet all of their needs and help develop pathways for the students. We are very excited.”
“My youngest son, Dante, graduated from high school with an associate’s degree as a senior by taking advantage of dual and concurrent enrollment offers,” said Alina Anberg, director of the employer partnership hosted by Woodland Community College. “We are thrilled to have such supportive partners. I think employers will be interested to see what paths can align with their industries and how to support them. There are dual enrollment models in California with industry support!”
“We attended about eight of our school districts,” said Dr. George Cielo, interim dean of CTE programs at Woodland College. “Talking with our partners and their managers, we are on the right track.”
In attendance were district teachers, counselors and administrators from Woodland Joint Unified, Colusa Joint Unified, Maxwell Unified, Williams Unified, Winters Unified, Dixon and Davis schools, Lower Lake and Middletown high schools along with Woodland Community College faculty, student services and counselors. And the officials.
“It was encouraging to see some data,” Anberg said. “My high school, Pierce, is already moving forward with the Chancellor’s Office initiatives to have new students in dual enrollment classes. Some of these schools have really great foundations to align their tracks.
The idea came from Dr. Fowler and resulted from a series of small contracts submitted in the spring.
The Dual Enrollment Summit was in response to feedback from that series of engagements and aligned with Vision 2030 from the Chancellor’s Office, Woodland Community College’s desire to serve area school districts and every educator’s dream of ensuring supported pathways for all students.
Woodland Community College is proud to announce that it will be hosting a Dual Enrollment Summit, welcoming high school students and educators from across the region. The summit aims to provide valuable information and resources for students interested in taking college-level courses while still in high school. With a focus on expanding access to higher education and promoting academic success, this event promises to be a valuable opportunity for students to learn about the benefits of dual enrollment and the pathways available to them. We invite all interested individuals to join us for this exciting and informative event.