Equity Exemplars: How East Los Angeles College is Transforming Student Success

Dual enrollment programs allow high school students to take college-level courses and earn college credits while still enrolled in high school. The programs’ effectiveness for increasing college access and success represents a promising lever for educational equity, bridging opportunity gaps in marginalized communities. These programs can provide viable college and career pathways to communities that have been consistently impacted by systemic barriers as a result of their race, ethnicity, gender, income, and documentation status. Through reduced costs and dual credit, students of underserved communities are able to complete their high school graduation with additional credits, certificates, or even an associate’s degree. This opportunity serves as a catalyst for developing college readiness and transferable skills, empowering students as early as eighth grade to navigate their educational and career pathways with confidence.

Nestled in a richly diverse community east of downtown Los Angeles, East Los Angeles College (ELAC) embodies the values championed at The Campaign for College Opportunity and the action necessary to ensure the equitable opportunity for all students to achieve a transformational college education. The Campaign’s Equity, Inclusion, Action national initiative underscores the need to address the historic exclusion and systemic disadvantages students face in accessing college and succeeding, which limits their and our state’s potential for a better future. Dual enrollment is a critical strategy that unlocks college access for minoritized students. At ELAC, dual enrollment is more than a program, it is a familial approach to cultivate a culture of care. Students and their families are welcomed through workshops and guided to essential resources by attentive staff, fostering a college-going culture rooted in trust, connection, and a sense of belonging that helps students prosper. By intentionally investing resources and fostering a strong sense of belonging, ELAC’s dual enrollment model goes beyond improving statistics. Instead, it prioritizes personal growth, confidence, and the belief that every student deserves to thrive in higher education.