美国国家公共电台 NPR--During the pandemic many Americans chose not to go to college, but high schoolers did

During the pandemic many Americans chose not to go to college, but high schoolers did

Transcript¹

Fewer people in the U.S. are going to college, but through early college programs and dual² enrollment³, many colleges are seeing a growing number of young people in their classrooms.

DWANE BROWN, HOST:

During the pandemic, lots of Americans chose not to go to college, but one group did - high schoolers. NPR's Elissa Nadworny takes us to Birmingham, Ala., for this report.

ELISSA NADWORNY, BYLINE⁴: It's bright and early at Woodlawn High School. Most students are sleepwalking from their cars into the regal brick and glass building. But a handful of students are getting on an idling school bus parked out front.

NOVEMBER BOHLER: You want to stop and talk and, like, communicate, but you got to catch the bus before it leaves.

NADWORNY: November Bohler is among the dozen or so Woodlawn High students heading to their first class of the day on a different campus, a college campus 20 minutes away.

NOVEMBER: It's, like, finals day for us. It might be a little panic.

NADWORNY: November settles in behind a group of students. They're all trying to cram⁵ a semester's worth of history on index cards.

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT #1: My handwriting is small. So it'll be - I'll be fine.

NADWORNY: They're each allowed to have one during their final exam.

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT #2: You're not going to be able to read all this.

NADWORNY: Several days a week, these students spend their mornings on a college campus and their afternoons back at high school in what's often called a dual enrollment program. This bus is headed to Jefferson State Community College.

EMMA MITCHELL: Going here makes taking the high school classes way easier.

NADWORNY: Emma Mitchell is a junior who's sitting at the back of the bus, reading over her notes for her morning sociology test. Off the bus, students find their classes on campus.

UNIDENTIFIED PROFESSOR: And today is the final exam day. So no headphones or earbuds, with the exception of our NPR journalist.

NADWORNY: Here at Jefferson State, high school students make up a third of the student body. And there's not just a benefit to students getting to experience college early. High schoolers on campus mean a huge benefit for the college.

PAM KELLEY: So we get full tuition dollars for all of our dual enrollment students.

NADWORNY: Pam Kelley is a dual enrollment coordinator⁶ at Jeff State.

KELLEY: That's a lot of revenue that we're not missing out on.

NADWORNY: During the pandemic, Jefferson State, like most community colleges, saw far fewer people enrolling⁷ overall, but their number of high school students kept growing. Nationally, data shows the pandemic's steep enrollment declines at two-year colleges are flattening⁸, almost entirely⁹ because of high school students. Pam Kelley attributes this growth to two things, the rise of online learning during COVID - if your class is online anyways, why not try a college one? - and funding. In the last two years, the state of Alabama has invested millions in dual enrollment. So for many students, it's free. And it's not just Alabama. There are strong dual enrollment numbers in places like Texas and Ohio. In Iowa, high school students make up 45% of community college enrollment. Pam Kelley at Jeff State says the growth has been a cushion for the college, but it's not just about money.

KELLEY: Numbers are important. There is no doubt about it. But to me, it's about giving students an opportunity to change their lives.

NADWORNY: After all the morning finals are over at Jeff State, I catch up with November Bohler. She doesn't think she'll come here full time after her high school graduation. She's interested in neurosurgery.

NOVEMBER: I want to do biology, like biology and chemistry, the lab.

NADWORNY: The general ed classes she's taken here as a high school student have given her a big confidence boost.

NOVEMBER: I feel like I can handle it.

NADWORNY: Plus, November tells me, if she does go on to be a doctor, that's a lot more schooling¹⁰. Getting a year or two of college credits before she graduates high school, that's going to help the community college stay afloat, but it's also going to save her time and money.

Elissa Nadworny, NPR News.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 dual   

adj.双的；二重的，二元的

参考例句：

• The people's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national.中华人民共和国不承认中国公民具有双重国籍。
• He has dual role as composer and conductor.他兼作曲家及指挥的双重身分。

3 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 cram   

v.填塞，塞满，临时抱佛脚，为考试而学习

参考例句：

• There was such a cram in the church.教堂里拥挤得要命。
• The room's full,we can't cram any more people in.屋里满满的，再也挤不进去人了。

6 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

7 enrolling   

v.招收( enrol的现在分词 )；吸收；入学；加入；[亦作enrol]( enroll的现在分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They lashed out at the university enrolling system. 他们猛烈抨击大学的招生制度。 来自辞典例句
• You're enrolling in a country club, Billy. 你是注册加入乡村俱乐部了，比利。 来自辞典例句

8 flattening   

n. 修平 动词flatten的现在分词

参考例句：

• Flattening of the right atrial border is also seen in constrictive pericarditis. 右心房缘变平亦见于缩窄性心包炎。
• He busied his fingers with flattening the leaves of the book. 他手指忙着抚平书页。

9 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

10 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。