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 article explores the growing popularity of Advanced Placement (AP) courses in U.S. high schools and examines whether AP courses are the solution to the nation's perceived academic gap. Some researchers do not think that AP courses are a panacea for improving science in U.S. schools based on a recent study's finding that AP courses do not…

This paper describes and evaluates benefits of advanced placement programs and identifies materials which can help high school history classroom teachers develop effective advanced placement programs. An advanced placement program is defined as a program which requires a student to do extensive research and writing throughout the school year.…

This document represents the first in a series of design briefs on models for early college high schools. The briefs focus on the academic and organizational design of the college component and tie those key features to a sustainable financing model. By engaging students in up to two years of demanding college-level work while still in high…

Opportunities to earn college credit in high school, once limited to a few programs available only to a small percentage of students, have grown dramatically over the last decade. More and more states are adopting policies designed to create a wider array of opportunities--for a broader range of students--to get a head start on college. These…

This report examined Advanced Placement (AP) test results for the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) and a group of comparable districts that participate in the Educational Benchmarking Network (EBN). Students in WCPSS showed higher performance on AP examinations than students in North Carolina, the South, and all test-takers worldwide.…

This report presents Advanced Placement (AP) Examination results for the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), North Carolina, in comparison with other large school systems, the state of North Carolina, the southern United States, and the entire United States. Participation of WCPSS students in AP testing has increased about 1% annually from…

Compares two programs which enable high school students to take college courses for credit: Advanced Placement (AP) Program and Syracuse University Project Advance Program. Discusses instructional methods, college credit, teacher involvement, student benefits, and problems, to show advantages of the latter program. (DC)

Introduces this special issue of "Journal of Geography" focusing on the teaching of Advanced Placement (AP) human geography. States that essays were developed by members of the AP Human Geography Development Committee focusing on areas in the human geography course outline which are included in the appendix. (CMK)

Explores the concept of culture focusing on how to demonstrate the complexity of cultural patterns and processes in the Advanced Placement human geography course. Describes key concepts and approaches such as cultural differences, environmental impact of cultural attitudes, cultural landscapes, and cultural identity. (CMK)

Explores the political geography aspect of the Advanced Placement (AP) human geography course that provides students with an understanding of the nature and significance of political organization of territory. Focuses on issues such as the nature and significance of political boundaries and the evolution of the contemporary political pattern. (CMK)

Discusses the cities and urban land use section of the Advanced Placement (AP) human geography course, focusing on the: (1) definitions of urbanism; (2) origin and evolution of cities; (3) functional character of contemporary cities; (4) built environment and social space; and (5) responses to urban growth. (CMK)

Discusses a high school advanced placement physics course cooperating with neighboring college. Describes the background, titles of experiments, report format, and discussion. (YP)