Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs: Optimal Learning Environments for Talented Minorities?

Abstract

The racial, ethnic, linguistic, and economic diversity within urban areas necessitates the creation of scholastic environments that are responsive to the varying academic and social needs of the student population. This qualitative study investigates ways in which teacher and administrator behavior and the school environment contribute to the successes or frustrations of minority students in AP and IB courses. Classroom observations and interviews with 9 administrators, 4 counselors, 43 teachers, and 75 students in 3 urban high schools revealed that consistent, broad-based support scaffolds learning experiences for students, enabling them to experience success and to develop confidence in taking on new challenges in college. Two key factors seemed to be integral to creating environments that nurture the growth of academic talent among students of diverse backgrounds: (a) a pervasive and consistent belief that these students could succeed, which resulted in instructional and group support; and (b) scaffolding to support and challenge able students (e.g., extracurricular help, lunchtime discussion forums, subsidized college visits). Teachers found ways to flexibly tailor their support and expectations to individual student needs in terms of product and performance expectations and the kind of help that was provided.