More and more high school students are enrolling in Advanced Placement courseswith the hope that the experience will better prepare them for college and boost their chances in the application process.
But an analysis of AP research by a Stanford University faculty member calls into question the consistency of AP courses and blanket claims about the benefits.
The College Board, meanwhile, strongly defends the program and suggests bias by the researcher.
The newly released paper, The Advanced Placement Program: Living Up to Its Promise? by Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and co-founder of the research and advocacy organization Challenge Success, is a review of more than 20 studies on AP courses. Pope highlights research that both supports the success of AP and others that fall short, concluding that parents and students should look closely at the program in their school before investing the time and money in an AP course.
