When Jaiel Langston walks across the graduation stage this Saturday, she won’t be collecting a high school diploma. Instead, she’ll be awarded an associate’s degree. At just 16 years old, Langston, a junior at Miami Northwestern Senior High School, is the first student at her school to earn a college degree in the 11th grade.
“I wanted to break barriers, not just for myself, but to show other students what’s possible with hard work and determination,” she said.
Langston is a straight-A student in the school’s medical magnet program, captain of two varsity sports teams and an aspiring cardiothoracic surgeon ever since her aunt underwent open-heart surgery to replace her mitral valve. Through dual enrollment at Miami Dade College, she has completed courses like AP Chemistry and AP Pre-Calculus, earning her 60 college credits.
The dual enrollment program has saved Langston years of schooling in an otherwise 13-to-20-year journey required to become a surgeon. She intends to continue her studies toward a bachelor’s degree this summer and into her senior year.
However, for other students looking to enroll in such programs in the future, the path forward could soon become out of reach.
Career-readiness at Risk
That’s due to a sweeping rollback of public education funding moving through the Florida Legislature, in part taking the form of a bill aimed at streamlining Florida’s school choice programs. Senate Bill 2510 includes a provision to slash 50% of the amount that the state currently reimburses school districts for students who score high enough on AP, International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) and dual enrollment exams to earn college credit.
Langston’s mother, Rhonda Gaines-Miller, emphasized the impact that the dual enrollment program has had on her daughter.
“Her experience has significantly boosted her confidence and demonstrated her readiness for college. Additionally, earning these credits early has helped ease some of the financial burden of higher education for our family,” Gaines-Miller said.
Herself principal of Miami Norland Senior High, Gaines-Miller said these programs have transformed the academic culture at her school as well.
“They show students that it’s possible to go beyond the standard path and push themselves further,” she said. “When people see their classmates earning college credits or even degrees while still in high school, it raises the bar for what we believe we can achieve.”
More than 110,000 students took AP, IB, AICE, dual enrollment or career education courses in Florida last year, according to the Legislature. However, under the new funding plan, that number could drop to as low as 55,000 in the House’s estimate or 69,000 in the Senate’s.
Melissa Viteri, a current FIU student who benefited from dual enrollment, shared her concerns about the direction the state is heading in.
“If I had still been in high school, I would have felt confused and helpless,” she said. “These programs are an incredible opportunity for students to get ahead in their academic careers. Cutting them would undermine all that progress.”
Expressing his own concerns, Dr. Steve Gallon III, vice chair of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) Board, pointed to other areas in which the proposed legislation could prove harmful.
“Any potential reduction in revenue is going to have a negative impact on students’ access to these particular programs. This not only denies their access from an educational standpoint, it also has an impact on families from a financial standpoint,” Gallon said, noting that the legislation further includes a reduction for expenses such as instructional materials, equipment, technology, teacher professional development, salaries and bonuses.
“You’re talking about not only benefits to students for accessing dual enrollment, but accessing educational experiences outside of the classroom,” Gallon said. “This is not a handout. Teachers are provided enhancements and stipends, and students are provided those benefits based on performance. I think, anytime you’re taking away from that, that’s a message in the wrong direction, in my opinion.”
