The Advanced Placement (AP) program offers an opportunity for students to earn college credit and develop college-ready skills in high school. The curriculum was initially designed for "superior" students at exclusive private schools. Recently, however, the AP program has expanded to serve more students from marginalized backgrounds, and…

The internationally recognized Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) develops creative, ethical leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. As a teaching and learning laboratory created by the State of Illinois, IMSA enrolls academically talented Illinois students in grades 10 through 12 in its advanced, residential…

Recent research shows that U.S. 15-year-olds are behind their international counterparts in problem solving and mathematics literacy, ranking 24th of 29 nations (Lemke et al. 2004). Therefore, a key concern among policymakers and educators is improving the quantitative and analytical skills of American youth, who face job prospects in an economy…

This book explores whether courses that focus on issues such as race/ethnicity, cultural diversity, cultural pluralism, and ethnic studies should be required for bachelor's degrees. The study focuses on the American cultures breadth requirement at the University of California-Berkeley and the ethnic studies requirement at the University of…

Reports on a study of students' preferences for social studies, English, and science courses among 888 secondary students. Finds that seventh graders preferred social studies over science, but this preference weakened substantially as students advanced into high school. Finds that boys preferred social studies over English throughout high school.…

It is critical that colleges and universities play a leading role in preparing students to function effectively in the more pluralistic society that is developing. This task can be accomplished by updating curriculum to be more responsive to diversity issues. One such effort to infuse multiculturalism into theory and practice in the counseling…

This paper discusses the Supplemental Instruction (SI) model of student academic assistance, a program recognized as exemplary by the U.S. Department of Education and developed at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) to help students in difficult postsecondary courses master course content while they acquire and integrate effective…

Maintains scientists may study topics that are of personal interest. Reports on a study of social backgrounds of 405 sociologists. Finds confirmation that women and ethnic minorities belong disproportionately to sex/gender and race/ethnic specializations. (CFR)