Disproportionate representation of historically underserved students in advanced placement programs, such as the IB program, is a persistent issue nationwide. Despite being called "the great equalizer," public education often perpetuates systemic inequities for marginalized students, including those living in poverty or belonging to…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of open access policies for Advanced Placement (AP) courses on student participation and performance, particularly focusing on minority and low-income students in a rural school district in Central Florida. The study addressed significant barriers to equitable access to AP courses, including…

The charter school movement encompasses many school models. In Massachusetts in the 2010's, the site of our study, urban charter schools primarily used "No Excuses" practices, whereas nonurban charters had greater model variety. Using randomized admissions lotteries, we estimate the impact of charter schools by locality on college…

Every year, millions of students take Advanced Placement (AP) exams hoping to score enough points to earn college credit and save on their tuition bill. But are they getting a real college education? The College Board says that AP classes and exams make the AP program more accessible and represent a step forward for educational justice. But the…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the social and academic experiences of Black students in AP English classes at a diverse suburban high school. This study aimed to illuminate their experiences, while giving voice to this traditionally marginalized group. Students provided recommendations for increasing academic success and…

With adolescent mental health problems on the rise, secondary school teachers are in a prime position to support students. This study sought to fill a scholarly research gap and inform future mental health literacy (MHL) training needs for teachers and to identify implications for their professional practice. Specifically, this study sought to…

This paper uses Advanced Placement (AP) exams to examine how receiving college credit in high school alters students' subsequent human capital investment. Using data from one large state, I link high school students to postsecondary transcripts from in-state, public institutions. I estimate causal impacts using a regression discontinuity that…

Black and Latinx students are underrepresented in advanced placement (AP) and dual enrollment (DE), and implicit bias of educators has been discussed as one potential contributor. This study tests whether aggregate measures of implicit and explicit racial bias are related to AP and DE participation and racial/ethnic gaps in participation,…

Background: To meet the growing demand for the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce and remain competitive in the fields of science and technology over the next decade, the United States is expected to need more than 1 million additional STEM professionals. This would require an annual increase of 34% in undergraduate…

Math consists of many components such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics, where each component holds its importance in the field of math. Students of Grades 11 and 12 are at an important stage in their career, where the attitude and performance in math determines their future choices. Therefore, the aim of this study was to…

Upper level high school math courses, those above Algebra 2, are associated with a host of benefits and positive outcomes for students who take them. Racial disparities in upper level math courses have persisted for decades despite nationwide efforts to improve them. Because of a lower prerequisite requirement, AP Statistics is the most accessible…

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to interpret the lived experience of Black and Latinx students from Lakeside Township High School (LTHS); to gain an understanding of how they make sense of their decision not to engage with AP Science coursework. After reviewing relevant literature, interviews were carried out with six Black and…

Prior research on the relationship between International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) scores and the university entrance exam scores is limited and varied to a great extent due to the conflicting results in the literature. This study investigates whether there is any relationship between the students' achievement performance in IBDP and…

This is the executive summary for the report, "College Acceleration in Action: Five School Perspectives." The first College Acceleration Playbook, "Accelerating Students from High School to College and Careers: A Playbook for State Policymakers" (ED612490) identifies a series of non-negotiables that states, colleges,…

High school students in accelerated curricula tend to report higher level of perceived stress compared to general education students, but often receive limited school support (Conger et al., 2021). This study explored student experiences of a targeted intervention using Motivational Interviewing (Motivation, Assessment, and Planning; MAP) compared…