Shows that journalism students who have taken a special intensive journalistic writing course pass Advanced Placement English and Composition exams more often than other students, including those who have taken AP English writing courses. Describes workshops for high school journalism and English teachers offered each summer by the Dow Jones…

Dual-credit programs offer high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to earn college credits while also using the credits toward high school graduation. This article examines the growing trend of dual-credit programs, surveying states' initiatives, quality issues, and types of courses offered. (EV)

Having data available is so important because it can improve upon our personal perceptions. Admittedly, statistics can sometimes be skewed to tell whatever story their handlers want them to tell, but by and large, high-quality data allow us to step back from personal perceptions and embark on an analysis with an eye toward identifying the root…

The signals had been there for years. Task force reports and researchers all predicted it. Then, in the late 1990s, the economic collapse in this blue-collar region of central Maine began. First, the Cascade Co. closed its textile mill. Then the C.F. Hathaway Co. shut down, and Dumont Industries followed suit soon after. Several stores and other…

This article highlights the expansion of the International Baccalaureate program in the United States due to the increasing amounts of interest among school districts in the subject of offering a more rigorous curriculum to be available for the students. International Baccalaureate programs, while very different from Advanced Placement programs,…

Annandale High School, Virginia, has come up with an International Baccalaureate (IB) program for high-achieving students, which also provides essential support for diverse students. The IB program is just one facet of a school culture at Annandale High that aims to increase opportunities for all students.

This exploratory study illustrates the differences in achievement between Latino college-bound students compared to their White counterparts with respect to key background and achievement variables. This research presents the gaps in "inputs" that Latino students possess regarding disparate income, parent education levels, access to Advanced…

In May 2001, students in the author's Advanced Placement (AP) United States History class were embroiled in a controversy surrounding the AP exam, in particular, having access to the exam's Document Based Question (DBQ) and free response portion prior to the test's administration. Prior to the exam, the College Board had provided a fifty-year time…

Free response question (FRQ) #5 in the 2002 Advanced Placement (AP) European history exam read as follows: "In what ways and to what extent did absolutism affect the power and status of the European nobility in the period 1650 to 1750. Use examples from at least 2 countries." This question, which is aimed at encouraging a comparative…

The authors examine concurrent enrollment programs (CEP) as an alternative to the AP/honors economics for teaching college economics in high schools. In general, they conclude that the CEP students tend to outperform the AP/honors economics student. (Contains 2 tables and 4 notes.)

This report traces the growth of high school physics in American school over the past twenty years. Highlights of the report include: (1) Enrollments in high school physics continue to grow; (2) Increase in number and proportion of physics teachers; (3) Number of students taking honors, advance placement or second-year physics course has nearly…

The racial, ethnic, linguistic, and economic diversity within urban areas necessitates the creation of scholastic environments that are responsive to the varying academic and social needs of the student population. This qualitative study investigates ways in which teacher and administrator behavior and the school environment contribute to the…

This research study was designed to determine leadership and instructional behaviors of administrators and teachers who are participants in the Alabama AP Initiative, as well as evaluate the perceptions of the AAPI with regard to student performance. The importance of this research was three-fold. First, this study provided principals, as well as…

It is clear that highly talented, precocious youth who are motivated to develop their talents need teachers, curriculum, and peers who are able to operate educationally at advanced levels. They should be provided the educational challenge needed to sustain and encourage development of their talents to the highest levels of creative achievement or…

Endorsed by five national educational organizations (the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, the American Council on Education, the College Entrance Examination Board, the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals), the fact sheet outlines…