Describes the origins and development of the Advanced Placement (AP) program in the United States, from its beginnings in 1951 to its success today. Suggests that for the future, AP should consolidate its gains, preserve and augment its value, and increase the opportunities for students, teachers, and schools worldwide to reap its benefits.…

Addresses the problem of covering the entire spectrum of U.S. history within a one-year course. Suggests a combined U.S. government and U.S. history course held as a double period class in order to prepare students for the Advanced Placement U.S. History examination. Presents a syllabus which covers both courses simultaneously. (LS)

Expresses a high school student's frustration at trying to learn programing through courses in BASIC and PASCAL and her renewed enthusiasm studying programing with Scheme. Changes in the elementary, secondary, and advanced placement computer science curriculum are encouraged, and information for obtaining Scheme software is provided. (MES)

The Project to Improve Minority Education (PRIME) in Arizona is providing 10,000 students in grades 7-12 with academic enrichment, counseling, tutoring, financial aid counseling, parent education, and college level courses. The program seeks to double the rate of college attendance and triple the rate of students majoring in science, mathematics,…

A teacher of an advanced placement English class of over-stressed, over-busy, and rebellious gifted seniors describes how she used Kafka's "Metamorphosis" to help them adjust to this transitional period in their lives while keeping all reading and assignments within the class period. (DB)

Reflects on the experience of being in an Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. history course in high school. Stresses that the intent of the course was only to prepare students to score well on the AP examination. Asserts that the course should have aimed beyond teaching to the test. (CMK)

Demonstrates that Advanced Placement (AP) courses may not be appropriate for every student. Discusses the process of selecting students for AP U.S. history. Criteria include an application, summer sessions, and evidence of motivation to excel in the program. Considers the effects of this policy. (CMK)

Addresses the Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. government and politics course at Jordan High School in Long Beach (California), an inner city school with a diverse student population. Describes the course and discusses its success and benefits. (CMK)

States that high school teachers can handle rigorous advanced placement courses in world history or world civilizations if they (1) have access to good teaching materials and (2) have been provided with the proper training. Address both issues, listing reading materials and describing the aspects involved in training teachers. (CMK)

Advanced placement (AP) tests in the United States are one of the best examples of home-grown high standards, but only a few students participate in them. Increasing student access to AP examinations offers a ready-made approach to high standards that can be expanded easily. (SLD)

Dual-credit programs allow students to enroll in college courses for credit while still in high school. These programs significantly reduce the time required to achieve an associate or baccalaureate degree, thereby reducing the cost both to the student and to the state. Many states are providing legislative support for program expansion. (Contains…

Provides historical information on the Document-Based Question (DBQ) that has been a part of the Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. history examination since 1973. Focuses on the effects that DBQ had on course content and teaching methods. Addresses the new changes made with the redesign of the DBQ in 1982. (CMK)

Provides background information on the Document Based Question (DBQ) that is part of both the Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. and European history examinations. Includes an example of the process involved in analyzing documents during the AP examination. Discusses teaching techniques that can be used for the DBQ with the purpose of improving student…

Argues that poor student performance on the Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. history examination is due to poor preparation for the exam and the misuse of the AP examination to measure teacher effectiveness and school quality. States that teaching methods must change to enable students to see the relationships among facts in history. (CMK)

It has been suggested that the International Baccalaureate Organization could be expected to "influence" as many as 100 million people in the foreseeable future. This article focuses on some of the cultural dissonances that may be produced from attempts to "clone" on to non-Eurocentric models, educational systems and methodologies designed to…