Learning in the Fast Lane

The first book to tell the story of the Advanced Placement program—the gold standard for academic rigor in U.S. high schools and beyondThe Advanced Placement program stands as the foremost source of college-level academics for millions of high school students in the United States and beyond. More than 22,000 schools now participate in it, across nearly forty subjects, from Latin and art to calculus and computer science. Yet remarkably little has been known about how this nongovernmental program became one of the greatest success stories in K–12 education—until now. In Learning in the Fast Lane, Chester Finn and Andrew Scanlan, two of America’s most respected education analysts, offer a groundbreaking account of one of the most important educational initiatives of our time.

Learning in the Fast Lane is exceptionally engaging. It deals with many complex issues, such as the main drivers of AP growth, yet it easily brings its point across with a combination of case studies and analysis.--Jonathan A. Plucker, Johns Hopkins University, A fascinating read. . . . Engaging and well researched.---W. S. Miner, Choice, Advanced Placement's transformation from a narrow program for an advantaged few into one that weaves expansive offerings throughout the fabric of American education today warrants a holistic, clear-eyed accounting of its present state and potential for the future. In Learning in the Fast Lane, Finn and Scanlan provide a comprehensive look at AP programs, deftly balancing candor with optimism, and detail with readability.--Nat Malkus, deputy director of education policy at the American Enterprise Institute, Both a history and full-throated defense of the Advanced Placement program.---Jason L. Riley, Wall Street Journal, The most comprehensive book ever on Advanced Placement, the most powerful educational tool in the country. . . . [Finn and Scanlan] add so much to a subject crucial to the future of high schools.---Jay Mathews, Washington Post

Chester E. Finn, Jr., is a distinguished senior fellow and president emeritus at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. His books include Exam Schools: Inside America's Most Selective Public High Schools (Princeton). Andrew E. Scanlan was formerly a research and policy associate at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.