Exemplary AP® Program: Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Greenbelt, Md.
Feb. 2010
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Students entering Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Md., know what they’re getting into, says Principal Reginald McNeill. High expectations are described to students and families, and big dreams are encouraged.
AP® courses play a significant role in the school’s commitment to having all of its nearly 2,800 students ready for college by the time they graduate. About 75 percent of the student population is minority, and about 67 percent of students are African American. The high school divides students into smaller learning communities, such as academies for science and technology, health and human services, and business and law, and through these academies, teens move through a prescribed curriculum that works early to develop strong foundations for AP and honors courses.
Eleanor Roosevelt High School was recognized as having the largest number of African American students from the class of 2009 score a 3 or higher on exams in AP English Language and Composition, AP Biology and AP Chemistry. McNeill said he is pleased by the achievement, but is not greatly surprised. The school has been expanding its AP offerings and encouraging students to take the exams for several years. The school administered 781 AP Exams to students in the class of 2004, and of these students, 172 earned a score of 3 or higher on at least one exam. This grew to 1,520 exams in the class of 2009, and 257 students received a 3 or better on at least one exam.
Roosevelt was recognized by the United States Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School in 1991 and 1998. The school was also recognized by the Department of Education as a New American High School in 1999–2000 and was awarded the 2002–2003 Siemens Award for Advanced Placement.
All Roosevelt students also have the opportunity to interact with the school’s strongest teachers, McNeill said. AP teachers also teach courses that are not advanced or honors level. “Our teachers are working with students to make sure they are placed properly in courses, and teachers stay here late and come in early to work with students who need extra support,” he said. “We want students to reach and know that they’ll be supported in those efforts.”
McNeill said support from both the district and from the larger community has also contributed to the school’s success. The school district has provided for important professional development for teachers and special workshops for students. Alumni, too, have had an influence on students at Eleanor Roosevelt. They return to the school and talk about their college experiences, and particularly how their AP credits have allowed them to begin college at or near sophomore levels.
“It’s a confidence builder,” said McNeill, “to show students they can do this and will be rewarded for that hard work.”
In the coming year, the school will continue offering more than a dozen AP courses, and hopes to add U.S. History and possibly Japanese.
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