About the Cambridge ProgramFor more than 800 years, the University of Cambridge has been educating students on its stately and historic campus in the heart of England. But the esteemed British institution's reach goes much farther, and it's now working aggressively to expand a menu of pre-collegiate offerings in U.S. schools.
The university owns and operates the Cambridge International Exams, part of a nonprofit division that provides academic courses of study in various subjects with a focus on promoting critical thinking, in-depth analysis, and strong writing skills. It currently serves more than 9,000 schools in 160 countries and students ages 5 to 19. Cambridge is still a relatively small player in the United States, especially in comparison with the ubiquitous Advanced Placement program. But it has seen rapid growth in recent years. It now provides college-preparatory curricula for about 230 U.S. schools at the elementary and secondary levels in 27 states, up from 80 schools in 2009. This year, 50,000 Cambridge exams were taken by high school students here, a 50 percent increase from 2012. Some districts seem eager to embrace the prestigious Cambridge brand in hopes it will give students an edge in college admissions and readiness. Last spring, for instance, the Miami-Dade County district in Florida announced plans to expand use of the Cambridge program from 16 to 70 campuses. "We have a very international community," said Robert D. Strickland, the director of school choice and parental options for the 345,000-student district. "This program is recognized on the world level. [Parents] like to know that and feel that their child can compete on the global level."
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