$2 Million Grant To Fund Davidson College AP Instruction Pilot
The
Davidson
Next Initiative has received $2 million from the Laura
and John Arnold
Foundation to extend a pilot program to create online
instructional materials
for some of the most difficult Advance Placement courses.
The
initiative,
a collaboration that includes Davidson
College in Davidson, NC, edX,
the College Board, 2Revolutions and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg (NC)
School
System, is creating instructional units with
interactive assignments and video lessons
that can be used in conjunction with classroom instruction for courses
in
calculus, physics and macroeconomics, subjects identified as the most
challenging for both students and teachers.
Davidson
College
faculty members are guiding the development of the content of the
instructional units, with help and advice from Charlotte-Mecklenburg
district
teachers who have taught the classes.
In
the
first year of the pilot program, four instructional units have been
developed
and distributed to 28 teachers in 20 high schools in the district. By
the end
of 2015, there will be 10 more units.
Each
unit
blends online learning with classroom discussion and practice with
exercises and video lessons taught by experienced AP teachers from all
over the
United States.
"This
partnership
presents a unique opportunity for our students to access rigorous
content in calculus, physics and macroeconomics," said
Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Deputy Superintendent Ann Clark. "In addition, our high school teachers
in
these subjects have received incredible professional development."
After
the
instructional units are tested during the pilot program in
Charlotte-Mecklenburg, they will launch on edx.org and be available free
of
charge to schools everywhere. The goal — and the reason the Laura and
John
Arnold Foundation made the contribution — is to assure that
disadvantaged high
school students have the same access to and are just as prepared to pass
AP
classes as any students.
"We
believe
that a level educational playing field for students from all backgrounds
will go a long way to foster a culture in which individuals have the
best
chance to succeed and prosper," said Kelli Rhee, director of venture
development for the foundation.
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.