Teachers From Across Arkansas Take Part in 26th Annual Advanced Placement Summer Institute

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Enrollment Services at the U of A welcomed nearly 200 teachers and consultants to the 26th annual Advanced Placement Summer Institute this week.

The summer institute offers professional development opportunities to middle and high school teachers from across the state to enhance their teaching skills for 13 different advanced placement courses.

“This week's APSI training was a great success,” said Suzanne McCray, vice provost for enrollment and dean of admissions. “Co-directors of the institute Emily Wright from the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards and Matt Hargis in Admissions did a terrific job planning the week. They brought experienced College Board endorsed AP consultants to train teachers and provided an environment where learning and exchange of ideas flourished. And not only were the teachers trained on their subject areas, but they also saw first-hand what is available for their students on our campus.” 

The training included a robust set of training sessions and activities, including a reception hosted by the Honors College in Gearhart Hall and a dinner for STEM teachers hosted by the College of Engineering. Amanda Peebles, program advisor for gifted programs and advanced placement at the Arkansas Department of Education, was also on hand to welcome teachers to the institute. 

“We appreciate the support, both financial and logistical, that ADE provides each year,” said Emily Wright, senior associate director for the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards and co-director of the Advanced Placement Summer Institute. “The week is a great experience for the teachers and for all those involved.”

During the week, 13 consultants served as “super” teachers, sharing best teaching practices for instructing high school students who are taking advanced placement courses. The training included 30 hours of instruction, and participating teachers received professional development credit for their work. 

Each consultant is endorsed by College Board. This year’s AP consultants conducted sessions in the following areas: 

• Tricia Castellanos (Johnson), psychology
• Matt Cone (Plano, Texas), U.S. history
• Kody Engle (Tulsa, Oklahoma), world history
• Zachary Jostad (Bentonville), English literature and composition
• Bridget Matamoros (Denton, Texas), statistics
• Bernie Phelan (Barrington, Illinois), English language and composition for experienced teachers 
• Marc Reif (Fayetteville), physics C: mechanics/electricity & magnetism
• Lynnette Russo (Fairfax, Virginia) U.S. government and politics
• Katie Stueart (Fayetteville) English language and composition for new teachers 
• Dickie Thomasson (Fayetteville), calculus AB
• Perla Weaver (Overland Park, Kansas), computer science principles
• Marshall Welch (Alpena), biology
• David Wentz (Bella Vista), chemistry 

“APSI is a great opportunity to showcase our campus to teachers across our state,” said Matt Hargis, director of recruitment for admission and co-director of the institute. “This event is a university-wide effort, and we are grateful to work with so many fantastic campus partners each year.”

Enrollment Services received a $159,705 grant from the Arkansas Department of Education to support the 2024 Summer Institute. The grant enables the U of A to provide Arkansas public school teachers who teach AP with funding to cover the cost of registration. 

The Department of Education also supports two other summer institutes in the state at Arkansas State University and University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Last year, the U of A awarded more than 33,000 hours of college credit to students with AP scores of 3 or higher.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.