<p>Hi - I’m a senior in college who is interested in getting a sense of whether or not parents, especially those in rural and/or economically disadvantaged communities, are having difficulty paying for online AP courses. I personally took many AP/college courses through EPGY, Northwestern, CTY, PennAdvance and Harvard, but I was only able to do so with the support of my parents, who sacrificed a great deal to make that happen. I am thinking of starting an initiative to help parents and students pay for AP courses, especially in states that have not made a huge push. Granted, many states, as I understand it from talking to administrators, have made good progress. But implementing a quality AP program takes time, and most rural schools aren’t able to support a wide variety of offerings. I don’t know if there will be a demand for starting such a fund. Any responses/feedback would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>It might be good to contact the rural/economically disadvantaged communities you’re considering targetting (via their principals, parents, or other means) & find out what THEY feel the interest level for such courses is. In some/many of our rural communities, they are having getting the kids to learn the basics & I’m not sure what kind of interest/demand there would be in higher level courses.</p>
<p>An underserved population I am aware of, some of whom have difficulty getting higher level courses that they might benefit from on-line are those with medical issues that make it difficult for them to attend school. They often have huge medical bills and may have limitations on what their schools can or are willing to provide.</p>
<p>I think EPGY might have need-based assistance. Some schools can be persuaded to bear the cost, especially if they cannot provide the course in question and there really is no other alternative. I doubt they would spring for creative writing, but I know of at least one K-8 that chipped in on part of the EPGY Algebra II, Pre-Calc, Calc ABC sequence.</p>
<p>Here’s some info about Title I (for economically disadvantaged) & the EPGY program. I know that the Stanford summer on-site learning program for high schoolers awards scholarships if there is showing of financial need.</p>
<p><a href=“http://epgy.stanford.edu/schools/titleone.html[/url]”>http://epgy.stanford.edu/schools/titleone.html</a></p>
<p>It’s true that SOME schools could be persuaded to fund some of the cost, but I have not seen it offered in our state & strongly doubt it’s an option here. I know that our state allows students to enroll as HS students in college courses at the local college or CC.</p>
<p>Hi, thank you all for your input - I really appreciate it. I am aware that EPGY/Northwestern/CTY provide some form of financial assistance - I should probably do some research into how much assistance is given and what percentage of the costs are covered. My idea for this start-up fund is to cover all of the costs, including textbook costs. I am assuming that financial aid for EPGY courses for individual students might be a bit limited, but again, I need to check on this. </p>
<p>The scope of the program will probably remain quite modest. But I guess I just want to help make sure that kids who really want to do this aren’t limited by the fact that they either don’t qualify for enough financial aid, or their schools are not willing to support individual students’ demand for AP courses. Again, some states, such as Florida, have a state funded online AP program. Some districts also take advantage of commercial companies. But I would guess, from talking to administrators, that they are the minority. </p>
<p>As for local CCs and universities, I think that is a great option and lots of kids in my state take advantage of the CC program. The only caveat is that there seems to be a sizable population who live in rural areas that don’t support a local CC or university. I could be wrong, and these students might already be able to take online courses through the CC, but more colleges accept AP than CC credits (at least the private universities look more kindly on AP than CC credits). </p>
<p>Again, I would love to get parental input on this idea and my perceptions. I could be totally off. Thanks again.</p>
<p>In California, the UC system has set up arrangements with many high schools that allows students to take online classes, including AP classes, for free so that they will meet the UC requirements. You might want to research that program. Here is the list: <a href=“http://www.ucgateways.org%5B/url%5D”>www.ucgateways.org</a></p>
<p>our district pays for AP courses in the schools and running start courses in the colleges
Some rural school districts actually do quite well offering courses to students- because they do not have the financial challenges of the urban districts( our district has a high percentage of ESL students- over 100 different languages are represented, and also have a large percentage of students with special needs)
I don’t think AP courses are required to do well in college.
I personally know several students from a very rural district who have attended top schools, and my own oldest daughter didn’t have any AP classes in high school.
I am involved in a program helping first gen/minority students to apply to college. I think there may be more need in helping students from similar backgrounds to even be aware that they should have an opportunity to attend college,( which should start at least in middle school), than to extend online AP courses. ( which is still a good idea- but not needed perhaps as much IMO)</p>
<p>I agree that AP classes aren’t absolutely necessary to get into a top school since colleges take availability of such courses into consideration. But in my experience, getting into a top school is just the beginning. It’s how well you do when you’re actually in college and competing against kids from Andover and Exeter. And there is some sizable research that shows AP classes enhance success in college, although you could argue about their merits. I look at this program as curricular enrichment, not replacement. While lots of money is going into remedial education, there isn’t half as much going into gifted education (which might be merited, but I don’t want to see talent kids slip through the cracks either). </p>
<p>Again, more thoughts would be greatly appreciated. If there isn’t much demand, I guess I should just scrap the idea. But if there is anyone out there who thinks there might be some need, please let me know.</p>
<p>I believe each state has some sort of a Gifted & Talented “program or department” & coordinator (the HI one is pretty much a joke as far as we could ever tell). The program coordinator at each state might be able to tell you whether there is any demand. I agree that it’s great to provide more access to more kids, if cost is a barrier. Sorry, I honestly don’t have a good “feel” for how many kids are unable to participate in on-line courses because of cost, in our state or nationally.</p>
<p>To the OP:</p>
<p>I’ll PM you about this. Public monies are available, as I’ll explain, since I have experience & am a teacher as well as consultant in several areas.</p>