More Courses, Less Joy

• Curricular cramming has resulted in many students taking seven courses rather than the five that were common in an earlier era. This has resulted in shorter periods and less attention for each subject as the length of the school day has not changed. Emphasis on the AP program has pushed more students into AP courses, yet many flooding into them have been unprepared and the courses are of dubious quality. AP scores have been declining. Even students who pass may suffer from the test cramming they endure, an approach that sucks the joy out of learning. Humes found AP classes were devoted to exam prep and “more rigidly programmed.”

Share this: