Jackson (MS) Public Schools

The only urban center in the state (population 184,256), the Jackson Public Schools project struggles with poverty, unemployment, and education deficits that are experienced in other cities across the country. The project is designed to expand and enhance the current pre-Advanced Placement and Advanced Placement program by serving low-income students within all of the approximately 24 middle and high schools in the zone. The project objectives include:

• Identifying and recruiting low-income 5th grade students for the 6th grade pre-Advanced Placement programs; 33 of 37 elementary schools with 75% or more low-income students will be targeted;

• Providing higher level reading and writing skills classes and after-school programs that will help ensure that the disadvantaged and low-income students develop the skills needed to succeed in pre-AP and AP courses;

• Providing tutoring/mentoring services of up to two hours per week for students enrolled in AP courses;

• Continuing a summer enrichment institute to build skills of 180 students over the three-year grant period;

• Conducting professional development activities for participating teachers on the "Mississippi Writing/Reading Institute," as well as on interactive teaching methods.

• Training teachers in Vertical Teams, as well as training them to develop curricula that build toward Advanced Placement.

Milwaukee (WI) Public Schools

This project is designed to increase participation of low-income, especially minority, students in the core subjects of math, science, English, and social studies in each of the 25 high schools in the city. Participation in pre-Advanced Placement (AP), AP, and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs will be supported under the grant. The primary goal of the grant will be to identify and recruit low-income students into AP and IB courses. Grant objectives include:

• Professional development for teachers through inservice training, workshops, and networking opportunities;

• Vertical Teams training (i.e., alignment of pre-AP and AP at the middle and high school levels), teacher summer institutes at the University of Wisconsin, and participation of teachers in Building Success and Vertical Teams (College Board/ AP training);

• AP online courses (i.e., Apex Learning) will be supported for a variety of subject areas for approximately 30-60 students;

• A minimum of one new AP course in the core areas of math, science, English, and social studies, will be developed for each of the 24 high schools each year of the three-year project period;

• AP and IB teachers from other districts will mentor beginning AP and IB teachers.