In 2003, 15 percent of urban students in the nation reported being in a fight on school property, compared with 10 percent of rural students.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

AROUND THE USA

TEXAS TEENS JUMP AT COLLEGE COURSES

The Brownsville (Texas) Independent School District has experienced a sudden surge in dual enrollment, which gives students high school and college credit for completing college-level work.

The increase in participation, which jumped from 2,000 students in 2005 to 3,587 this year, is partly credited to a fee reduction for nonresidents of the state. Because of a policy change at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, the fee for students regardless of their residency status is just $5, which the district pays. Previously, the charge for students living outside of Texas was more than $1,400 per course.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, The Achiever, November 2006

ADVANCED CLASSES

FASTER PATH TO DEGREES

Research has shown that students who take academically rigorous courses in high school are more likely to graduate from college in five years or fewer.

Most widely known among them is the Advanced Placement program, a set of 37 college-level courses that allows high school students to earn credit or advanced standing at most of the nation's colleges and universities on the basis of their AP exam grades. Many of these institutions grant up to a full year of college credit (sophomore standing) to students who earn a sufficient number of qualifying AP grades. For more information, visit www.collegeboard.com or call (888) 225-5427.

Becoming more widespread, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year, college-prep curriculum that leads to an advanced high school diploma and the potential for college credit based on final exam scores. Taught in English, French and/or Spanish in 124 countries, the program covers six interdisciplinary subject groups in the areas of literature, foreign language, social science, experimental science, mathematics and the arts, and has three core requirements. For more information, visit www.ibo.org.