""The Achiever" is a monthly newsletter designed expressly for parents and community leaders. Each issue contains news and information about school improvement in the United States. Highlights of this issue include: (1) $17 Million Awarded in Advanced Placement Grants; (2) After the Storm: New Orleans School Maintains High Standard…

TO PROVIDE BETTER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR A SELECT GROUP OF STUDENTS, THE SAN RAFAEL PROGRAM FOR MORE ABLE LEARNERS WAS ESTABLISHED. AMONG ITS GOALS WERE PROBLEM-SOLVING FACILITY, CREATIVITY, RESPECT FOR LEARNING, AND SELF-UNDERSTANDING. THE GOALS ALSO INCLUDED KNOWLEDGE OF FACTS, IDEAS, CONCEPTS, SOCIAL SKILLS, SENSITIVITIES AND FEELING,…

Online learning programs are designed to expand high-quality educational opportunities and to meet the needs of diverse students. While the primary reason online courses are offered in school districts is to expand offerings to courses that would otherwise be unavailable, the second most commonly cited reason for offering online learning is to…

This study reports the outcome of an initial implementation of a California law permitting mentally gifted high school students to attend a junior college part time. The program procedure is described in terms of (1) selection and enrollment, (2) discipline, (3) books, (4) matters relating to high school graduation, (5) information for parents,…

Magnet schools have developed strong national and local constituencies among parents and educators, who see them as vehicles for bringing equity and academic excellence to all students. Typically, these schools offer innovative programs through a specialized focus or theme. They may emphasize subjects like science or the arts, or they may adopt…

This study examines the role of Advanced Placement (AP) and other honors-level courses as a criterion for admission at a leading public university, the University of California, and finds that the number of AP and honors courses taken in high school bears little or no relationship to students' later performance in college. AP is increasingly…

In this report, the Commission on General Education in the 21st Century--a panel of University of California faculty and administrators--issues a call for renewed attention to general education in research universities, highlighting specific reforms for University of California campuses. In addition to analyzing the historical, institutional, and…

Describes how advanced placement students at Gunn High School (Palo Alto) achieve a higher than average pass rate on the advanced placement final exam required in California. Attributes their success to the focus on expository writing and provides examples of both good and bad essays. (JDH)

Every day, we learn what works so students can make greater progress. Six years after No Child Left Behind's passage--and midway to the nation's goal of having students on grade level or better in reading and math by 2014--we have collected more data than ever before about the academic performance of our students and schools. This information…

This booklet is intended to encourage wider participation by California high schools and colleges in the Advanced Placement Program of the College Entrance Examination Board. It briefly presents a variety of useful information on the Advanced Placement Program for college and school officials interested in the possibility of participating in the…

To explore the effects of educational reform legislation, curricular changes in California comprehensive high schools from 1982-83 to 1984-85 are investigated. Results mirrored statewide curricular changes documented in California Basic Education Data System data. The changes involved increased offerings in math, science, and advanced placement.…

In their 2004 paper "The role of Advanced Placement and honors courses in college admissions," (see ED492533) Saul Geiser and Veronica Santelices of the University of California, Berkeley, addressed the use of Advanced Placement Program (AP) and honors courses as a criterion for admission at the University of California system and…

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…

Using critical race theory as a framework, this article examines the access and availability of Advanced Placement (AP) courses and how they impact educational outcomes for Latina/o and African American students. To begin thinking critically about enrollment patterns of AP courses, we ask the following questions: How do school structures,…

This report provides an in-depth look at five different programs, all of which currently, or are making efforts to, include a broad range of students. The five Credit-Based Transition Programs (CBTPs) studied are located in five states--California, Iowa, Minnesota, New York and Texas--and included two dual enrollment programs (one with a career…