From left to right: Kate Smith, Lindsey Crosland, Jared Taylor
Rio Salado President Dr. Kate Smith recently joined a podcast conversation with Jared Taylor and Lindsey Crosland on “American Classroom: Stories of Building a Civil Society.” The podcast is a product of Heritage Academy Mesa. Heritage Academy is a public charter school system with campus locations across the Valley and one of Rio Salado College’s dual enrollment partners.
In this episode, the trio discussed the dramatic growth of dual enrollment, the confidence it builds in students, and the meaningful financial advantages it creates for families. The conversation highlights how dual enrollment builds confidence in high school students by helping them succeed in real college coursework before graduation. Smith and the hosts pointed to strong outcomes, including higher college completion rates, higher GPAs, and long-term earnings benefits for students who participate.
The episode also explored how students can earn an associate degree while in high school and still remain eligible for university scholarships, creating significant financial savings for families.
“Whether it’s a transcript of some courses or a degree, it all transfers across the country,” Smith noted. “If someone completes the two-year degree and they want to go locally to ASU or U of A or across the country to Rochester, it transfers as a degree … they walk in and they’re already at junior level status.”
Smith emphasized the importance of partnerships between K–12 schools and community colleges in making these pathways accessible to all learners.
“Post-secondary education makes a difference in fighting generational poverty in addressing how we’re going to have thriving communities in our country,” she said. “These things matter.”
The discussion closed with a look at how higher education is adapting to workforce needs, including the skills-based economy, as well as artificial intelligence.
“Post secondary ed is just going to weave in and out of careers as we go forward,“ Smith said. “That industry piece becomes fundamentally important because industry is changing so quickly.”
You can listen to the full conversation here.