The Next Degree
Twenty-five years ago, Minnesota became the first state to pay for high-school juniors and seniors to earn college credits that also counted toward their high-school diplomas. More than 110,000 Minnesotans have earned as many as two years of college credits without paying a dime toward the tuition. The dual-credit program, called Post-Secondary Education Options or PSEO, spawned efforts across the country to engage the bored, the brainy and the alienated. But now Minnesota — struggling with a persistent achievement gap between whites and minorities — finds itself somewhat behind the newest generation of programs, which focuses on under-represented, low-income and at-risk students. First of a series. Casey Selix, MinnPost.com, June 18, 2010