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Public schools have taught the Advanced Placement curriculum for decades. AP courses offer students the opportunity to accelerate in the subjects in which they are particularly gifted. In addition, students who score well on AP exams can obtain college credits or test out of courses before ever attending a university. However, some schools are taking the advanced placement program one step further, requiring students to take exams that will bolster the school's own standing in some national rankings.

Those Opposed to AP Requirements

The AP examinations offer many benefits to students, but they cost a lot to take. Most of the exams cost between $50 and $100. Some schools pick up the tab, and others charge students directly for the exams.

One of the complaints parents and students alike have in districts that are requiring the exam is that some families cannot afford the expense of the test. This means some students will not benefit from the Advanced Placement classroom because they can't afford the required exam with the course itself.

Others are unhappy about the requirement to take an exam that may or may not offer much benefit to them. For students taking Advanced Placement courses, the time required to prepare for many examinations may be more than the students can handle. Most will pick and choose the exams to take based on their expectations of which exams they predict they will master.

The percentage of students enrolled in advanced placement courses who

One, two, three, four - give your algebra class a hip-hop beat score!

Researchers have been studying the link between music and learning for decades, and recent research suggests that listening to music enhances the brain's ability to absorb new information. According to the , a Stanford University School of Medicine study showed that listening to music can help the brain focus and organize information more efficiently.

This news isn't new for millions of students who enjoy listening to their favorite tunes during study sessions. However, for many schools that are now incorporating music into their curriculum, the study supports their efforts to improve students' learning ability with musical selections.

In this TEDx Talk, Edmund Adjapong discusses Transforming Urban Education Through HipHop Pedagogy.

What is Hip Hop?

Hip-hop has become the genre of choice for many schools looking to add music to their basic curriculum and test preparation. Hip Hop, according to , is a cultural movement that originated in the Bronx in the 1970s and quickly spread throughout the African-American and Latin-American cultures in New York City. More recently, hip hop has become a worldwide craze but has particularly spread in popularity throughout the United States.

Hip-hop incorporates four basic elements: DJing, rapping, break dancing, and graffiti art. The music consists of various components, including rapping, sampling, beatboxing, and juggling various beats on old-fashioned turntables. The

When school gets back in session, parents go into a flurry of activity, transforming lethargic summer vacationers into study fiends that make the grade. Most parents know the basics of good study habits because these ideas have been drilled into them since they were sitting behind a desk in a classroom. Carve out a quiet place to study. Study at the same time every day. And so it goes.

However, recent research suggests that much of what we have been taught about developing good study habits may be flawed at best. In fact, some of those great tips might be downright inaccurate!

It appears that recent research published in the and from other learning experts may turn everything we know about effective studying topsy-turvy by introducing a whole new approach to making the grade.

Assumption #1: Find a Quiet Place to Study

Most students know they need to find a quiet place to study after school, whether it is a corner of the library or the desk in their bedroom. However, recent studies suggest that switching locations for your study session may help you retain your information more effectively.

According to a blog by Christine Carter on the , "cognitive scientists believe that studying something in multiple environments increases the neural connections in our brains associated with what we are trying to learn." In plain language, more connections may mean more effective learning.

This concept was illustrated in

Historically, vocational training was often viewed as a "fallback" plan for high school students who struggled in a traditional academic setting. However, today's students are beginning to tune into the benefits of vocational high school, from jumpstarting a career in various industries to becoming the first step toward a degree in a specific sector. Consider the latest information about vocational high schools to determine whether this might be a savvy step in your academic career.

This video describes how vocational training gives students real experiences.

Opportunities In Vocational Training

According to a report at , vocational training prepares high school students to move into a high-paying, skilled job much more quickly. Many vocational programs also include the necessary certification for different jobs, giving students graduating from these schools an advantage when they enter the job market.

Much vocational training is hands-on, which means that in addition to appealing to different types of learners, these programs offer the specific experience needed to land a job and begin working almost immediately after graduation.

In the last several decades, the popularity of vocational high schools has declined. Many of these schools offer training in production and manufacturing, which no longer offers as many job opportunities for students.

However, vocational schools are currently in the process of transforming from programs of the past to programs of the future. Some of the new offerings at

Bullying has been a problem in schools for generations, but the easy access to students granted by the internet and cell phones has broadened the problem exponentially. Case in point: 15-year old Phoebe Prince committed suicide in January of this year because classmates bullied her in person, through social networking sites like Facebook, and with threatening texts sent to her cell phone.

The opportunity for cyber-bullying and traditional bullying may be getting larger, but the public outcry is also increasing as the media is bringing more of these high profile cases to attention.

The U.S. Department of Education responded to the bullying problem this year by hosting the first ever anti-bullying summit in Washington D.C. this month. According to a report at , the goal of the summit was to "engage governmental and non-governmental partners in crafting a national strategy to reduce and end bullying." The summit was headed by Education Secretary Arne Duncan and attended by many professional educators who want to put a stop to this destructive behavior once and for all.

This brief video from the Mormon Channel illustrates bullying in clear terms.

How Prevalent is Bullying?

In opening remarks at the summit, as reported by the , Duncan presented some of the following statistics:

• Just three years ago, nearly one in every three middle and high school students said they were bullied