The United States Department of Education has announced the launch of an experiment to increase the opportunities for high school students from low-income backgrounds to take college courses.

This experiment — in an effort to improve academic opportunities for students — will allow students to take college courses while also being enrolled in high school, according to a press release from the education department.

More than 1.4 million high school students took courses offered by a college or university for credit through dual enrollment last year, according to the U.S. News and World Report.

This week, the Department of Education will release a Federal Register notice allowing postsecondary institutions, in partnership with public secondary schools or local education agencies, to apply to participate in the dual enrollment experiment, according to the release.

The Department of Education will invest $20 million in the 2016-17 award year, which will benefit up to 10,000 students from low-income backgrounds across the country, according to the release. These students will also have access to federal Pell Grants, according to the release.

High school students who qualify for the federal grants would be able to earn the equivalent of at least 12 postsecondary credit hours while still being enrolled at a public school, according to the release.

“A postsecondary education is one of the most important investments students can make in their future,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in the release. “Yet the cost of this investment is higher than ever, creating a barrier to access for some students, particularly those from low-income families.”

Since 2008, federal Pell Grant funding has increased by 70 percent, according to the release.

Published on November 1, 2015 at 9:57 pm

Contact Sara: smswann@syr.edu | @saramswann