Some school leaders have viewed programs such as Advanced Placement (AP) as an attractive option to resolve the ongoing achievement gap problem. However, the ongoing debate in the field about maintaining the ostensible purity of the AP program versus diluting it with program expansion has hindered the full utilization of AP classes to close the…

High school administrators, counselors, and teachers can support, assist, and nurture incoming ninth graders. Principals should share middle-level and high school buildings, teachers, and preparation time; organize ninth-grade students and teachers into interdisciplinary teams; conduct regularly scheduled advisory programs; assign upperclass…