The superintendent claims an advanced placement (AP) European history course was eliminated and an AP course in comparative government was added to provide a little more coherence, not to create a multicultural approach. A parents' committee claims they formed over the issue of academic rigor, not multiculturalism. (MLF)

In 1987-88, advanced placement courses were offered by only 39 of South Carolina's 58 small rural high schools, compared to 100 percent of all other high schools. Distance learning systems, such as the Star Schools Project, provide a feasible option to expand the curriculum in small rural high schools. (SV)

Presents effective ways to combine classic political science readings with outside-the-classroom research assignments. Gives examples of projects that have worked well in preparing students for the United States government and politics advanced placement examination. (DB)

Discusses the Advanced Placement (AP) Physics program in the U.S. in terms of which of its aspects may be applied to education in the United Kingdom. Suggests that a British AP scheme giving access to introductory-level college physics for the brightest students may be needed in light of proposed A-level curriculum changes in the U.K. (Author/WRM)

Interviews with 26 Latino high school students in California indicated that distinct school cultures (career academy, advanced placement, general education) were experienced in different ways by U.S.-born and immigrant Latinos. These experiences influenced their school engagement and academic success. (Contains 48 references.) (SK)

This pilot study examined middle school and high school student performance on an online historical thinking assessment task. After their teachers received training in the use of digital historical archives, students from all groups engaged in historical thinking behaviors (e.g., observation, sourcing, inferencing, evidence, question-posing, and…

Minority students were about 25% of the student population at Central High School in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1995. But the composition of its honors and challenge classes did not reflect this diversity: Few minority students were taking challenge classes as underclassmen and even fewer were taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses as seniors. This paper…

Teaching AP Art History is like running on a treadmill that is moving faster than a teacher can run. Many teachers are out of breath before the end of the term and wonder how in the world they can cover every chapter. Because time is short and art from pre-history through to the present, including the non-European traditions, must be covered, this…

The concern with a "digital divide" has been transformed from one defined by technological access to technological prowess--employing technologies for more empowered and generative uses such as learning and innovation. Participation in technological fluency-building activities among high school students in a community heavily involved in the…

While the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (2000) reported that only 1.3% of high school students currently take Latin, the College Board, which administers the Advanced Placement program, reported a 95% increase since 1993 in students taking the Latin exam for college credit. States like Virginia, for example, offer Latin for…

This study involved 99 students who took honors-level courses and 87 students who took Advanced Placement courses through a gifted distance-learning program. Data showed that students' interests in the subject areas, the desire for enriching and accelerating themselves, and the unavailability of the courses in their home schools were the major…

The efficiency and effectiveness of the nation's human capital pipeline has become a prime area of focus in the policy arena, spurred on by international data that show the U.S. lagging in high school and college completion. For policymakers, education leaders, and even students and parents, it is becoming increasingly clear that the transition…

Students successfully completing an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma course of study may, under certain conditions, be awarded a Bilingual Diploma. Since many students in international schools may be expected to be bilingual, and bilingualism, properly nurtured, has been shown to have metalinguistic and cognitive advantages, it would be…

A recently released National Research Council (NRC) report, "Learning and Understanding: Improving Advanced Study of Mathematics and Science in U.S. High Schools", evaluated and recommended changes in the Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and other advanced secondary school science programs. As part of this study,…

Advanced placement teachers around Chicago find their own intellectual stimulation reinvigorates their teaching and benefits their students. Through a consortium, these teachers group together to explore content-based topics using a rich variety of community resources, including a top library, university and museum resources. "This is my…