@EdWorkingPaper{ai26-1546,
title = "“Translating Policy into Opportunity: School Counselors and the Implementation of CTE-Focused Dual Enrollment Pathways",
author = "Nicole Mader, Stone Dawson, JoHanna Sestito, Raven Powell, Kaitlyn Dodgen, Victoria Harpool",
institution = "Annenberg Institute at Brown University",
number = "1546",
year = "2026",
month = "August",
URL = "http://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai26-1546",
abstract = {Dual enrollment programs have expanded rapidly in the United States as a mechanism to improve college readiness, accelerate time to credential, and support postsecondary transitions. Yet empirical research on dual enrollment has largely centered on academic coursework offered through community colleges or four-year institutions. Considerably less is known about career-oriented dual enrollment offered through technical colleges, particularly from the perspectives of students and the school counselors responsible for implementing these opportunities. Drawing on Pressman and Wildavsky’s (1973) theory of policy implementation and Lipsky’s (1980) theory of street-level bureaucracy, this study examines how state efforts to expand access to technical college dual enrollment are enacted in local educational contexts. We analyze survey data from 1,382 students enrolled in Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs) and 510 high school counselors who responded to the Tennessee Educator Survey, as well as focus group data from 44 high school counselors across Tennessee. Tennessee provides a unique policy context in which recent state investments have substantially expanded dual enrollment opportunities at technical colleges. Findings illustrate four major themes: (1) high schools vary widely in recruitment models and partnership structures with TCATs, shaping who enrolls in CTE-focused dual enrollment and when; (2) while counselors value TCAT dual enrollment as a viable pathway, access is unevenly distributed due to assumptions about student fit, structural barriers, and program capacity; (3) counselors serve as key frontline implementers, providing intensive advising and administrative support that often exceeds that required for academic dual enrollment; and (4) students and counselors report positive effects on student self-efficacy, postsecondary identity, and college-going behaviors. Findings suggest that access to and success in TCAT dual enrollment are shaped not only by state policy design but also by local implementation conditions, organizational capacity, and counselor discretion. Implications address how policymakers and institutions can strengthen partnerships, reduce administrative burden, and support equitable pathway-oriented advising so that students of all backgrounds can benefit from CTE-focused dual enrollment.},
}