‘Teaching the teachers’

Glasscock School of Continuing Studies hosts AP Summer Institute, collaborates with Houston businesses to provide real-life training

A common question teachers hear from students is “When am I ever going to use this in real life?” Thanks to a partnership between Rice University’s Center for College Readiness (CCR) and several Houston businesses, teachers participating in the Advanced Placement Summer Institutes (APSI) are receiving a multitude of real-world answers.

This year marks Rice’s 19th year hosting the APSI program. The three-week training camp will be held July 9-12, 16-19 and 23-26 by the CCR, part of the Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies. APSI offers teachers of all AP subject areas the opportunity to sharpen their skills and learn from experienced, enthusiastic and dedicated College Board-endorsed lead consultants.

Teachers participating in the English, art history, statistics and biology courses are visiting the Holocaust Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Houston Zoo, Houston’s waste water plant, Memorial Hermann Medical Center and the Houston Museum of Natural Science to gain insight into how their respective subject areas relate to real-world experiences. The information gathered will be used to create new lessons for the courses. Teachers will acquire firsthand stories and background information to enrich the lessons, help generate enthusiasm for the curriculum and expose students to potential future career paths.

“The Center for College Readiness strives to always provide teachers with the most enriching professional development opportunities, and this year is no exception,” said Rachel Finch, a CCR program director. “We are absolutely thrilled that local organizations are providing special ‘behind the scenes’ experiences for our teachers this summer.”

The AP program is the national standard for academic rigor and college readiness, Finch said. The program gives high school students the opportunity to take college-level courses in a high school setting and provides them with the best preparation for postsecondary success. This year’s event includes nearly 2,000 teachers from 229 public school districts in 30 states and international participants from Costa Rica, Colombia, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Taiwan.

Founded in 1967, The Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies currently attracts 14,000 enrollments annually for classes in the Center for College Readiness, the Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership, The Language Programs, the Master of Liberal Studies, the Master of Arts in Teaching as well as personal and professional development and certificate programs. More than 6,000 college-preparatory teachers, students and administrators from all across the country and beyond attend the School’s programs in the Center for College Readiness and School Literacy and Culture Project. The English as a Second Language program has attracted students from more than 100 countries. The new Anderson-Clarke Center, currently under construction, will enable the Glasscock School to continue to expand its programs.

For more information on the Center for College Readiness, visit http://bit.ly/1asUiep. For more information on the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, visit http://glasscock.rice.edu.