Background: Early Colleges (ECs) are a type of rapidly growing dual enrollment program proven to be successful in helping underrepresented students get a jumpstart on their postsecondary education. To date, the most rigorous evidence on the impact of ECs has come from two lottery-based natural experiments conducted by the SERVE Center (Edmunds et…

The challenge and promise of postsecondary education is greater in a large, fast-growing, diverse state like Texas where the fastest-growing segments of the population are economically disadvantaged and come from communities historically underserved by higher education institutions. Recognizing this reality, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating…

This study was a cooperative effort of the Texas-ACT College Success Research Consortium, a research partnership between ACT and the following Texas four-year postsecondary institutions: (1) The University of Texas at Austin; (2) Texas A&M University at College Station; (3) Texas A&M University at Commerce; and (4) University of Texas--Pan…

The International Baccalaureate (IB) programme utilizes an inquiry-based multi-disciplinary approach and focuses on the teaching of critical-thinking skills. The IB programme is growing at a rapid rate within the United States, with the overall number of IB schools having more than doubled in the last five years. The purpose of the present study…

This qualitative case study focused on the efficacy of International Baccalaureate Primary Years and Middle Years Programs in Texas schools and the extent to which the unique aspects of these programs contribute to positive student outcomes. The qualitative data were gathered as a complement to statistical, quantitative data our research team…

At a time of mushrooming interest in Advanced Placement (AP) tests, a new book, "AP: A Critical Examination of the Advanced Placement Program," assembles studies on how capable the program is of meeting the increasingly diverse expectations held up for it. Growing out of a symposium held at Harvard in 2007, the book focuses on AP science…

The study examined whether taking Advanced Placement Program[R] (AP) courses and exams in high school improves student college performance. The study included students who graduated from Texas public high schools between 1998 and 2002 and then went on to attend a Texas public college or university. Data on students' college grade point average…

The Texas Education Agency's (TEA's) state GEAR UP project--Texans Getting Academically Prepared (TGAP)--has provided interconnected activities supporting early awareness of and preparation for higher education among low-income and minority students, their families, and schools in six South Texas school districts. Over its six years, the state…

The Texas Education Agency's (TEA's) state GEAR UP project--Texans Getting Academically Prepared (TGAP)--has provided interconnected activities supporting early awareness of and preparation for higher education among low-income and minority students, their families, and schools in six South Texas school districts. Over its six years, the state…

In October 1999, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) received a GEAR UP state grant. TEA's project, Texans Getting Academically Prepared (TGAP), was originally a five-year grant. However, additional federal funding extended the project for a sixth year. TGAP begins at the middle-school level to prepare low-income and minority students for higher…