Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Education (Ph.D)

Department

Administrative and Instructional Leadership

First Advisor

Anthony Annunziato

Abstract

In recent years, the College Board and the Advanced Placement program have pushed for further equity and access for all students (College Board, 2020a). College Board is taking strides to offer students open enrollment to Advanced Placement; however, many underrepresented and low-income students are still unable to access these courses. The College Board and school districts need to continue to study strategies to help close this opportunity gap. To what extent is the College Board working to expand the AP program in private schools to serve more underrepresented students? What impact does the growth of the Advanced Placement program have on teaching and learning according to educators? What have been the challenges in terms of efficacy and access of the Advanced Placement program and what strategies have been implemented to overcome them according to educators? This mixed method study utilized both quantitative and qualitative data to understand the impact open access of the Advanced Placement program has had on teaching and learning. The researcher examined quantitative findings from a Google Form survey sent to AP teachers at five private high schools on Long Island, as well as College Board AP participation and performance data from New York State. The qualitative findings from this research were collected through one-on-one, semi-structured interviews through a video conferencing platform. Additionally, College Board publications related to equity and access were examined. Quantitative findings from the research study were significant and can be used to support the growth of the Advanced Placement program in schools. The study’s findings have implications for policy-makers, administrators, and teachers. Initiatives for Advanced Placement equity and access should continue to reach underrepresented students. Additionally, open-access of the AP program is beneficial for success for all students and should be encouraged. Teachers should continue to gain support through professional development and digital resources from the College Board. A recommendation for future research is to include classroom observations in the qualitative portion of the study. Including classroom observations in the qualitative portion of the study could yield further results about classroom strategies that are successful for AP courses.

Download

Share

COinS