JSTOR—with its vast collections of journals, books, and primary sources—is designed to support students doing college level coursework and research. Now, through an arrangement with the College Board, high school teachers and students taking the new Advanced Placement® African American Studies course in the 2024-2025 academic year will have free access to JSTOR to enrich their learning experience.

Approximately 13,000 students in 700 high schools across 40 states are currently enrolled in the AP African American Studies course pilot. Starting this fall when the course launches nationally, teachers will be able to select JSTOR as a resource for their AP African American Studies students, with access provided via the College Board website and the cost covered by College Board.

The JSTOR collections available to the AP African American Studies students feature 12 million full-text articles from more than 2,800 academic journals across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Among the available content: 23 journals devoted to African American Studies including The Journal of African American History, Journal of African American Studies, Journal of Black Studies, The Journal of Negro Education, Transition, The Black Perspective in Music, James Baldwin Review, and more. Millions of images and primary sources from libraries and museums all over the world are also accessible on JSTOR. These include collections that support African American Studies from diverse organizations like City College of New York, Cleveland Public Library, Meadville Lombard Theological School, and Temple University.

”It is so exciting that students taking AP African American Studies will be able to explore the rich material JSTOR offers as they delve into this advanced coursework,” said Dr. Brandi Waters, senior director and program manager of African American Studies in the Advanced Placement Program and lead author of the course. “Access to JSTOR removes barriers for students and puts a plethora of credible sources and cutting-edge scholarship at their fingertips.”

This arrangement with the College Board provides a new and important pathway for JSTOR to pursue its mission to improve access to knowledge and education, and furthers its work to support high school students’ introduction to and use of peer-reviewed scholarship and primary sources to support college readiness.

“This is a very exciting development for us,” said Rebecca Seger, Vice President, Institutional Participation and Strategic Partnerships. “JSTOR is a resource that anyone doing college level coursework and research will benefit from, including high school students. We are thrilled to partner with the College Board to directly support the curricular needs of the AP African American Studies course and to acquaint students with JSTOR as a resource that will help them to be successful throughout their higher education journey.”

Teachers can find more information about the AP African American Studies course and how to obtain JSTOR access for students at: http://cb.org/APAfAmStudies.