Published the week of 5/22/05

"There's something important that you're missing. There's another benefit from the Post-Secondary Option program that you have not described. The benefits of competition can go two ways."

That's what a central Minnesota school administrator told me last week, as I discussed Minnesota's 20 year, mostly positive experience with the Post-Secondary Options law. Since 1985, more than 100,000 Minnesota high school juniors and seniors have used this law to take college courses, full or part time. More than 80% report that if they had the choice again, they would do it.

The administrator agreed with me that Post-Secondary Options has encouraged many high schools to increase the number of advanced, challenging classes. As he put it, "That's true. Schools do this in order to retain students, who might otherwise attend a nearby or local college."

He continued, "But the program also has encouraged some colleges to become more responsive and cooperative with high schools." When surveyed several years ago, more than 50% of high school principals said one impact of PSEO was that it increased communication between high schools, colleges and universities.

His district benefited when competition increased among higher education institutions. Apparently, as the local high school began losing students to nearby colleges, district administrators asked if these post-secondary institutions would be willing to work with them to create what are often called "College in the Schools" courses. These courses, taught in the high school, offer high school and college credit. The number of these courses has increased, along with Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses around the state since the legislature passed PSEO in 1985.

Initially, this administrator reported, neither nearby local higher education institution was interested in cooperating. So the district contacted another Minnesota state university that he had heard was open to this idea.

They were. Together the university and school district planned and began offering new college in the schools courses, right in the high school. They included Economics, Spanish, Algebra and Business. All except the business class were popular.

Hearing about this, a nearby community college changed its mind. Now its administrators WERE willing to help the high school offer more challenging, college level courses in the high school. Currently these involve two college level composition courses.

These new courses are valuable options for students. And the collaboration has helped high school teachers, who are working with college faculty to offer the courses.

Sometimes competition creates winners and losers - as in a basketball or football game. But in this case, it seems everyone has won.