Carroll Teachers Selected AP Advocates by College Board

Carroll ISD teachers Dorothy Cassetta and Sherry Martin have been selected as members of the inaugural class of AP Advocates by the College Board and the Advanced Placement program.

The AP Advocates Program is a new initiative engaging AP teachers in the College Board’s effort to provide every student with access to opportunity.  AP Advocates will maintain a critical two-way dialog between educators and the decision-makers whose support is essential to the growth and continued success of the AP program.

Cassetta teaches AP Human Geography at Carroll High School and is in her eight year in the district. Martin teaches AP Chemistry and AP Biology at Carroll Senior High School and is the director of the Carroll Medical Academy. Martin is in 12th year in Carroll ISD.

AP Advocates will meet directly with leading policymakers to help them understand teachers’ views and present teacher-generated solutions.

AP classes change lives, and nobody is better equipped to drive that point home than the AP teachers who experience those stories every day.  More than just a source of powerful stories, the AP Advocates are a dedicated group of policy-minded, solution-driven leaders, ready to help find answers.

For the Advocates, the program offers an exceptional professional development opportunity.  We provide training and information to prepare them for interactions with decision-makers and the media, information about relevant federal and state legislation and the opportunity to work together as a professional learning community and develop their own roadmap for making the greatest possible impact.

College Board staff will maintain direct contact with the Advocates, keeping them up-to-date on policy issues and other developments, and informing them of opportunities to make an impact, whether that means writing a letter to the editor or joining us on a trip to the capitol.  We will also encourage them to keep us informed of their ideas, opinions and news.  I speak on behalf of the leadership of the College Board when I say that we value their input very highly.

To recruit the inaugural class of Advocates, we invited experienced AP teachers in five states–California, Florida, Georgia, New York and Texas–to apply.  We were looking for committed professionals willing to volunteer their time and use their voices to shape policies that will expand AP to more students.

The response was overwhelming.  For fewer than 170 Advocate positions, we received more than 950 applications, virtually all of which were excellent.  The teachers selected as Advocates–through an extremely rigorous process–represent the cream of an already elite crop.  We are truly honored to have the opportunity to work with such exemplary educators and such inspiring individuals.