Examines the use of advanced placement programs (AP) in Broward County, Florida, as an intervention strategy to narrow the achievement gap among student groups. Found that AP coursework can be extended to a wider range of students than previously thought, including minority students. (Contains 16 references, 7 tables, and 4 figures.) (Author/MLF)

Explores reasons why students take introductory physics courses at the university regardless of their Advanced Placement (AP) exam performance. Briefly describes the nature of AP physics, the examination format and reporting of scores, and the results of a survey of physics departments regarding their policies towards AP exam scores and placement…

A 1988 student survey suggests that honors classes more frequently resemble traditional tracking programs (based on IQ tests and prior performance) than do advanced placement (AP) classes. AP programs appear to be based on a meritocratic system; students who are adequately prepared and sufficiently motivated can accept the challenge and enroll.…

Although previous reviews of acceleration outcomes have been markedly positive, practitioners have markedly negative perceptions of acceleration's efficacy. This article reviews and evaluates academic, social, and emotional benefits of early school entrance, grade skipping, nongraded classrooms, curriculum compacting, grade telescoping, concurrent…

Colleges have three types of admissions criteria: challenging course work, grades, and college admission test scores. Staff at a huge North Carolina high school found that offering challenging advanced-placement courses helped students get into selective colleges and graduate from them. The program benefited the entire school population. (MLH)

This article, which is based on research funded by the Nuffield Foundation, examines the responses of higher education institutions (HEIs) to the recent reform of advanced level qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, known as "Curriculum 2000". The research, undertaken in late 2002 and early 2003 following the…

The Advanced Placement (AP) exams have a significant impact on teaching English and the AP scores are recognized by most of the colleges and universities in the United States. The limitations of timed, standardized writing are discussed.

A problem with the construction of an inclusive definition of international education is that the word 'international' has a variety of connotations. It is proposed that the term 'international education' is ambiguous because it appears to refer to contrasting usages in educational studies. International education is frequently discussed in the…

When the author started as a geography teacher in an International Baccalaureate School (IB world school) 10 years ago she noticed more than a few analogies with the so-called "McWorld"--a term invented by Ritzer (1993, 1998) to refer to the global invasion of McDonald's Restaurants--and the IB world. More recently, geographers and…

Early College (EC) is an initiative funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates, aimed at increasing access to higher education for underserved students. Launched in 2002, the Early College initiative focuses on the development of small schools in which high school students earn both a high school diploma and transferable college credits upon graduating…

After two years of teaching English, history, and wilderness survival in the Inupiaq Eskimo village of Wales, Alaska, the author moved in Brazil to teach English and Theory of Knowledge in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. His four years of experience at the International School of Curitiba have confirmed his belief that…

Students with high scores (top third) on the essay portion of an Advanced Placement Examination (AP) (College Board) and low scores (bottom third) on the multiple-choice portion of the same examination were compared with students whose performance showed the opposite pattern. Across examinations in different subject areas (history, English, and…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) The Value of Enhanced Reading Opportunities in High Schools: Report Finds Supplemental Reading Programs Can Improve…

This article examines the issue of fostering vocational knowledge from an international perspective. It is based on the belief that 21 st-century students would benefit from a study of human endeavour that has an intercultural foundation. It identifies the aspects of knowledge that may be seen to comprise vocational knowledge and uses one…

School-within-a-school programs are an alternative school choice that can provide differentiated learning opportunities for academically gifted students, but they are often politically contentious. In a recent study, we interviewed 530 students and teachers in gifted and regular streams in three publicly funded secondary schools with different…