Education Researchers Examine Moving Advanced High School Courses to Poverty-Impacted Urban Settings—Equitable Access to "Rigorous” AP Courses Does Not Necessarily Produce Equity in Outcome

As greater numbers of urban schools adopt rigorous curriculum—certainly a trend today—unanticipated problems arise, most notably student failure, which can impact negatively not only students’ school achievement but their learner identity and their own sense of college readiness. This symposium presents findings from a multiyear design experiment to develop and test a project-based approach to rigorous high school courses. The findings from this ongoing design experiment suggest directions for this work. The methods used by the multidisciplinary team were both quantitative (nonrandomized intervention studies with statistically matched intervention and control groups) and qualitative (video analysis, individual and group interviews). The design objectives are deep conceptual learning and meaningful engagement in these courses, rather than mere curriculum coverage, plus appeal and success for a wider range of students. The researchers began with AP U.S. government and politics in an innovative suburban school district and “migrated” to two urban districts and to a second course: AP environmental science.

Innovation Through Anchored Collaboration

John D. Bransford (University of Washington), Nancy J. Vye (University of Washington)

Rethinking Rigor in High School Coursework: Toward Deep Knowing and Equity in “Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics”

Walter C. Parker (University of Washington - Seattle), Angeline Jude Enk Sung Yeo (University of Washington), Jane Lo (University of Washington)

School Context and the Implementation of Rigorous High School Curricula

Diem T. Nguyen (University of Washington), Lise Whitfield (University of Washington), Amy Sharp (University of Washington)

Interest Is Not Enough: Designing for Engagement in Project-Based Courses

Susan B. Nolen (University of Washington - Seattle), Kendall Becherer (University of Washington),Susan E. Cooper (University of Washington), Gavin Tierney (University of Washington), Chris Ward (University of Central Florida)

Literacy Challenges for Teachers and Students in Rigorous Courses in Urban High Schools

Sheila Valencia (University of Washington), Sara Nachtigal (University of Washington)

Chair: John D. Bransford (University of Washington)