Meet Carla Mebane of Dual Credit Consultation Services

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carla Mebane.

Hi Carla, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I’m Dr. Carla D. Mebane, and I recently retired as the Assistant Dean/Director of the UMKC High School/College Partnerships Program. Before coming to UMKC, I served as the Dual Credit Coordinator at Northwest Missouri State University. I’ve had several teaching appointments, including positions at William Jewell College, Baker University, Northwest Missouri State, and as a classroom teacher within the North Kansas City School District. Throughout my career, I have received awards for civic leadership and presented at conferences on diverse students, multiculturalism, diversity awareness, and starting dual credit/enrollment programs regionally and internationally.

I received my Ed.D in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri-Columbia, an M.A. Ed. in School Leadership from Baker University, an M.S. Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction from Lesley University, and a B.S. Ed. in Elementary Education from William Jewell College. During my tenure at the University, I continually increased student enrollment in the dual credit program from 6/2012 – 6/2022.

DCCS was started in November 2020 during the pandemic. At this time, more and more students were taking advantage of online college courses and being successful. However, I also noticed that black and brown student enrollment numbers remained low based on demographics, which was a clear call for action.

DCCS is looking to partner with parents/guardians, students, and other education entities to provide information and support in helping students take advantage of obtaining college credit while still in high school and saving parents/guardians up to $8,000.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been fairly smooth?
Transitioning from the K-12 education sector to becoming a non-profit organization has been challenging; no one knows me in the non-profit space. All the logistics of constructing a budget and competing for funding when other non-profits have been around for years and receive large donations and gifts from several foundations have been very challenging. Another challenge has been working with high school administrators to convey how our services are very different from the high school counselors and that we are not competing with school counselors. We know we need to have the patience to wait for parents and students to trust our services, but ultimately we want to be perceived as a complement to the work of high school counselors.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Dual Credit Consultation Services?
Dual credit/enrollment has existed since 1959. While some students have been taking college courses in high school, many students and parents are not taking advantage of these programs because they do not know this opportunity exists, especially black and brown students. The National Center for Education Statistics states that when students participate in dual credit programs, graduation rates increase, and an increased percentage of students pursue a higher education institution through to graduation.