<p>Given the fast pace of change in education reform and increased demands for accountability and academic excellence, the CB has a lot on its plate these days. While the controversy over whether or not the AP curricula and exam regimen give students an edge over comparable honors classes is open to debate, the issues here center on a new role for the CB that would make it a primary mover and shaker in educational reform because it is moving into a niche where there is a deficiency in precisely those high caliber honors courses noted in the Harvard Gazette article. </p>
<p>The CB model high schools, since it is bank rolled in large part by the Gates Foundation, can be seen as part of the larger Gates' project that aims to promote the reconfiguration of existing, under performing schools as well as the creation new, smaller high schools. The new CB model schools, and the 6-12 English and math curriculum products, will obviously rely on CB products to create the rigorous college-prep programs, and it is these higher level courses and products that educators involved in the project deem to be a key component to facilitate and engage teachers in their efforts to combat student apathy and improve academic achievement. </p>
<p>According to the Education Sector, the Gates Foundation is now keenly aware that teachers must be fully inolved and engaged in a viable teacher-student relationship if the reform process is to be successful. At this point it is also obvious that this is easier said than done. The Gates Foundation is pouring more money into studies to find out exactly in what ways the ideas of "rigor", "relevance" and "relationships" play out in the classroom because so far, the Gates experiment in high school reform has only yielded a slight increase in reading literacy but not much in math and science.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Reform, it is increasingly clear, depends on improving both school climate and the quality and rigor of classroom instruction. Mathematics presents a special challenge. Math teachers told the Gates-funded evaluators they had a very difficult time finding ways to make the subject more engaging and relevant for students while simultaneously covering all of the skills and concepts that statesand, for that matter, collegesexpect students to learn."
[/quote]
</p>
<p>In the context of high school reform, math and science literacy and the role of the CB, it is worth noting that the CB also got a large chunk of change from the National Science Foundation to overhaul the AP program:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Improving Advanced Placement (AP) science classes and redesigning high school science curriculum to incorporate the latest developments in biotechnology, nanotechnology, and other fields were the focal points of a panel discussion hosted by the College Board and the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Washington, D.C., last week.</p>
<p>The NSF has awarded a $1.8 million grant to the College Board to redesign AP courses in biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental science. The funds will be used to develop a process for making continual changes in the courses and exams to incorporate the latest scientific developments and to leverage best practices in the teaching of science.</p>
<p>Commissions appointed for each of the four AP science disciplines will carry out the redesign, which will commence this summer. The commissions are expected to finish their work in December 2007, allowing for several years of professional development prior to the launch of the new AP science courses in fall 2009.</p>
<p>These efforts come amid a chorus of calls to improve the nation's science and math instruction to strengthen America's global competitiveness.
[/quote]
</p>