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Schools are under tremendous pressure to close achievement gaps and increase students' college and career readiness. Research has shown that students' interactions with rigorous curriculum and instructional practices positively impact their postsecondary outcomes (e.g. Adelman, 2006; Oakes and Saunders, 2007). With an established standard of rigor already existing in many high schools in the form of Advanced Placement courses, a majority of high schools could increase the rigor in their schools by introducing more students to Advanced Placement. One way to accomplish this goal is to offer AP to students earlier than 11th or 12th grades. This study cites emerging research that identifies ninth grade as a critical moment for exposing students to elevated rigor and investigates the impact of offering AP World History to ninth-grade students. It contains a qualitative analysis of nine educators' experiences working in various capacities within AP World History programs that included ninth-grade students. The educators' responses to questions about their perceptions of the AP World History program in their schools were recorded and transcribed, then analyzed using a grounded theory approach. The analysis of their interviews produced four categories--Competitive Advantage, Organization, Instruction and Practice, and Dispositions. Those categories reveal the broad-reaching impact of Advanced Placement World History courses for ninth-grade students on schools, students, and educators. This study finds that a culture of confidence is a common characteristic in schools that offer AP World History to ninth graders. It concludes that offering rigor at the level of AP World History, to ninth-grade students, produces significant changes in schools, students, and educators and leads to the development of a culture of confidence. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]