APA Press Release
May 9, 2008
Contact: Audrey Hamilton
Public Affairs Office
(202) 336-5706

APA AWARDS OUTSTANDING PSYCHOLOGY TEACHERS WITH THE EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARD

Award winners are Mary Jarvis of Wausau West High School, Wausau, Wisc.; Katherine P. Minter of Westwood High School, Austin, Texas; and Allyson J. Weseley, EdD, of Roslyn High School, Roslyn, N.Y. They were all recognized for exemplary teaching and for their commitment to academic and professional excellence.

"This year's recipients have not only demonstrated exceptional skills in the classroom, but have contributed greatly to the profession of psychology teaching,” said TOPSS Chair Hilary Rosenthal. “TOPSS is proud to have selected these outstanding individuals for the 2008 Excellence in Teaching Award.”

Psychology teachers' students and peers from around the country submitted their nominations for the award. Nominated teachers were asked to provide a letter of reference from a former student, colleague or supervisor as well as an outline for a psychology-related lesson plan. The three winners were selected based on their roles in promoting professional development activities and their leadership in the field.

Each winner receives a framed certificate, an engraved award, a copy of the ActivePsych CD series, a complimentary one-year TOPSS membership, and a cash prize. The ActivePsych CD series was donated by Worth Publishers.

TOPSS offers teaching materials, professional development opportunities, a speakers' bureau, a quarterly newsletter, National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula, and programs for high school psychology teachers and students. There are approximately 1,800 High School Teacher Affiliates of the American Psychological Association, and this number continues to grow as the organization reaches out to over 6,000 high school psychology teachers in the United States. Psychology is a popular high school course and enrollment numbers have been increasing over the last 15 years. In 2007, over 116,000 students took the Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology examination, making it one of the fastest growing AP exams. Regular and International Baccalaureate (IB) psychology are also taught at the high school level.

The mission of the American Psychological Association Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) is to promote the scientific nature of introductory and advanced high school psychology; to meet curricular needs of secondary school teachers; and to provide opportunities for high school students to be recognized and rewarded for their academic excellence.

The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 148,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting human welfare.