Rujena Dotson, assistant director of Fayetteville City Schools, recently participated in the Jobs for the Future Executive Branch Network Forum focused on Career-Aligned Dual Enrollment in Washington D.C.

Dotson served on a panel of five individuals, including Erica Cuevas, Jobs for the Future; Alex Perry, Senior Policy Advisory Foresight Law and Policy and Coordinator of the College in High School Alliance; Joshua Stafford, Superintendent Vienna High School Illinois; and Katie Lash, Vice President for K14 and Strategic Initiatives, Ivy Tech Community College, Indiana.

She was the only representative from the state of Tennessee.

The panel presented at two separate events in Washington D.C. to representatives of the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor and Congressional staff representatives.

“The CSN and EBN forums highlighted how dual enrollment is a proven strategy for improving student success,” Dotson explained.

According to Jobs for the Future, national research shows that students who participate in dual enrollment are more likely to enroll in college, complete degrees, finish high school, and accumulate meaningful college credit.

“These programs also serve as powerful mechanisms for talent development and meeting workforce needs by aligning k-12, higher education, and employers, and by creating more efficient and affordable transitions for students as they earn degrees and industry credentials,” said Dotson. “As student participation in dual enrollment grows nationwide, states and regions are adopting a wide range of models.”

Dotson has been invited back to Washington, D.C., this summer to have more conversations with representatives and to present at a conference there.