Development of an advanced placement examination and certification program that guarantees admission to foreign universities is discussed as a means of promoting international educational exchange and assuring comparability of academic standards. Use of American advanced placement credentials is already common in some foreign countries. (MSE)

Shows that journalism students who have taken a special intensive journalistic writing course pass Advanced Placement English and Composition exams more often than other students, including those who have taken AP English writing courses. Describes workshops for high school journalism and English teachers offered each summer by the Dow Jones…

In May 2001, students in the author's Advanced Placement (AP) United States History class were embroiled in a controversy surrounding the AP exam, in particular, having access to the exam's Document Based Question (DBQ) and free response portion prior to the test's administration. Prior to the exam, the College Board had provided a fifty-year time…

Free response question (FRQ) #5 in the 2002 Advanced Placement (AP) European history exam read as follows: "In what ways and to what extent did absolutism affect the power and status of the European nobility in the period 1650 to 1750. Use examples from at least 2 countries." This question, which is aimed at encouraging a comparative…

This article notes that the May 1987 release of the College Board's advanced placement exam in American government gives high school social studies departments good reason to reassess and improve their advanced placement programs. It shows how Alexis de Toqueville's classic 1935 work, "Democracy in America," may be used as a central…

Discusses the rationale and validity for talent searches, with special emphasis on the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP). Describes the Precollege and Summer Educational Programs and notes typical results. Discusses the by-mail program and the efforts by TIP to serve as a resource to schools as they develop their own programs.…

Though the world of schooling may be in trouble, the world of art is booming, and though few of the benefits have yet percolated through the schoolhouse walls, there are hopeful signs and, indeed, several genuine innovations, such as Advanced Placement and CEMREL's Aesthetic Education Program. (Author/SJL)

This article favors providing both gifted and advanced placement programs for students. Three components of a unique gifted program are identified: (1) interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary courses; (2) character development; and (3) independent study. Advanced placement program objectives can be added to gifted programs but should not replace…

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)

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)

Responds to claims that teachers are inadequately prepared to teach advanced placement courses in U.S. government and politics. Contends that political scientists can assist secondary teachers by offering summer workshops. Defends the curriculum as an accurate reflection of a college-level course in introductory politics. (NL)

In this interview, a high school art teacher explains why her initial enthusiasm for block scheduling evaporated. Problems arose with foreign-language instruction, science labs, lesson planning, field trips, space utilization, supplies, and overenrollment in elective subjects like music and art. Teachers had little control or administrative…

Starting on the cover, this article describes programs developed by Julian Stanley's Study for Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY) at Johns Hopkins University (Maryland) for the early identification and accelerated training of mathematically and verbally gifted students. Also discussed are SMPY spinoff programs and the shortage of math and…

It is suggested that many high schools do not fully utilize the intellectual talents of their students as an educational resource. By serving as teaching interns or assistants under extremely close supervision, it is thought high school students can contribute significantly to the quality of the school's curriculum. (Author/MLW)