<p>While the CB's venture into 6-12 education without a doubt does promote the AP/SAT culture of testing as the gold standard of secondary educational rigor, I agree with tokenadult that any effort at reform aimed to ensure that high school graduates are truly prepared to enter college (whether a CC or 4-yr IHE) and become part of an educated workforce is laudable. As to accountability and the question of just who is behind this initiative, well, the CB (in its capacity as a non-profit organization) received an initial grant of $4.4 million, in 2003, from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to create six small College Board Schools in New York City. So you have to look to the Gates Foundation, as well as other Foundations involved in the projects for more information. These model schools are designed to target urban, low SES and minority students so that they can benefit from the opportunity to take "challenging" college level AP level courses and exams. Since 2003, the program has expanded beyond the six New York City schools.</p>
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In venture-capitalist fashion, the Gates Foundation invests in a variety of promising models, including charter, private, and public schools. It's focusing grants on a limited number of sites, hoping for 10 to 15 districts that can show "significant improvement" in college-ready graduation rates--and provide the basis for wider reform. "We're pragmatic investors and attempt to support bold ideas that will serve as models as well as large-scale improvement efforts," says Tom Vander Ark, a former schools superintendent who now runs the Gates Foundation's education initiatives.
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<p>The following is from the Gates Foundation web site:</p>
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Best known for administering the SAT and Advanced Placement (AP) programs, the College Board is a nonprofit, membership association composed of more than 4,700 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations. College Board secondary schools, grades 6-12, the first two of which opened in the fall of 2004, is designed to prepare all students for access to and success in college through the implementation of College Board programs, coupled with an emphasis on educational leadership.</p>
<p>Approaches
College Board schools will set high expectations and demand high achievement from all students.</p>
<p> The College Board will provide teacher training throughout the year and create high-level course content, materials, and tests.
College Board schools is devoted to inquiry and the development of a culture of learning for faculty and students alike. The schools immerse students in a rigorous curriculum in literacy and mathematics, enhanced by College Board curricular and assessment programs, including SpringBoard, AP, Pre-AP, PSAT/NMSQT, as well as college preparatory programs such as SAT readiness, CollegeEd, and MyRoad.
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