<p>I also like Jay Mathews a lot, and while I agree that the chart he printed does leave a lot of variables out, I think the chart does support Jay's general argument (and it's an argument that he makes a lot): the best way to prepare kids for college is to challenge them in High School. He happens to believe that AP/IB is the best way to do that, and he strongly believes that schools should be encouraging, and allowing, ALL their students to take these challenging courses. Jay makes a good point that if we let college bound kids slip through HS without getting a taste of college-level work, they are far more likely to fail when confronted with a college workload. I think the chart, IN GENERAL supports his argument, even though it doesn't address a number of important issues. </p>
<p>Jay has a good habit of re-printing e-mail reactions to his columns, even when (as in one case) they compare him to Hitler. So if you really have issues with the chart, go ahead and e-mail him. I've found him to be remarkably accessible for a big-city journalist. </p>
<p>On a related note, the WSJ had an interesting article last week on how "elite" high schools are opting out of the AP program -- I look forward to Jay's response to this.</p>