Is Increased Access Enough? Advanced Placement Courses, Quality, and Success in Low-Income Urban Schools

Abstract

This article combines descriptive statistics and interviews with college-bound high school students to explore the connection between increased access and academic quality of Advanced Placement (AP) courses in low-income urban high schools. Resultssuggest that although moderately more opportunities to take AP courses exist than in previous years, students' sense of their own preparation and their resultant performance on AP exams do not indicate quality or appropriate preparation for college. The article is guided by a "funds of knowledge" framework, which emphasizes the value of instrumental and content aptitudes in preparation for college success.

The Impact of Participation in the Advanced Placement Program on Students' College Admissions Test Scores

“…Students that score well on AP tests typically believe they are more likely to be accepted into college (Hallett & Venegas, 2011). Also, students can earn high school and college credit for passing the AP exam, which many students believe helps them graduate from college earlier and save money by reducing tuition costs (Hallett & Venegas, 2011). Another economic incentive to take courses comes from the College Board, which offers fee waivers to low-income students to cover the test cost.…”

Urban Youth Scholars: Cultivating Critical Global Leadership Development through Youth-Led Justice-Oriented Research

“…A global citizen education predicated on developing cosmopolitans and hybrid citizens, has traditionally been accessible to White, middle and upper-class students who attend elite suburban and independent schools. Herein, their access to IB and AP programming includes educational experiences which emphasize critical thinking, project-based learning, international experiences abroad (Culross and Tarver 2011;Hill 2012;Hill and Saxton 2014), and various opportunities to earn college credit (College Entrance Examination Board 2012; Hallett and Venegas 2011;Taliaferro and DeCuir-Gunby 2008). Such opportunities to experience a global citizen education are few and far between for marginalized Black and Brown youth in under-resourced urban schools.…”

Table of Contents

“…Learning about higher education or following a college-preparatory curriculum is not equivalent to direct experience with college. Promising curricular alignment eff orts like Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs still place college outside the high school student's set of microsystems (Hallett and Venegas, 2011;Perna and others, 2011;Scott, Tolson, and Lee, 2010). Even when a particular microsystem stresses high educational aspirations and academic success, students' overall experience frequently falls short of the sustained, complex repertoire of knowledge and behaviors required for college access and success.…”

“…Neighborhood racial, ethnic, and income stratifi cation is tied to school segregation and systematic disparities in family, community, and school resources (Reardon, 2011). Unequal distribution of opportunities for Advanced Placement courses among high schools, for instance, tracks closely with neighborhood socioeconomic status (Hallett and Venegas, 2011). Broad societal views of national sovereignty and identity aff ect the experiences and opportunities of documented and undocumented immigrants (Portes, 1999).…”