Freedom High School Teacher Earns APA Award for Excellence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 2019
Contact: Emily Leary Chesnes (202-572-3013)

Rachel Chapman, a psychology teacher at Freedom High School in Orlando, Fla., has been named a winner of the 2019 APA TOPSS Charles T. Blair-Broeker Excellence in Teaching Award by the American Psychological Association's Committee of Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS).

"Rachel created a curriculum that integrated psychological science with real-life experiences that high school students face every day," said Allison Shaver, MA, chair of APA's TOPSS Committee. "This is primarily why psychology has grown so much at Freedom High."

Sixty percent of freshman enrolled in standard or Advanced Placement (AP) psychology taught by Chapman during the 2018-19 school year. She has filled classes with high interest activities, such as creating "living neurons" with legos, and mentored other teachers to use cognitive psychology-based strategies in their lessons.

"Rachel is an extremely innovative and cosmopolitan teacher," said Matthew Panzano, MEd, head coordinator of the Freedom High School Monticello Academy. "She has captivated the minds of teenagers through an incredible cartoon series that she created in order to teach key concepts."

Chapman combines creative lessons with a deep, personal care of her students, according to former student Ramon Bonilla.

"Ms. Chapman's mnemonic devices are not only clever and memorable, but simultaneously effective," said Bonilla. "She also goes above and beyond to make sure her students are well when they are missing from class."

Chapman says her greatest professional accomplishment are the skills that students gain from taking a challenging psychology course.

"The students learn more about themselves in psychology than in any other class they could take," said Chapman. "They also develop invaluable critical thinking skills that not only help them in other academic subjects but also in their everyday lives."

Chapman will receive a framed certificate, an engraved award, $500 and a complimentary TOPSS membership renewal for 2020. Additionally, Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers is providing her with a $500 credit and a copy of the High School Psychology Video Anthology.

Now in its 27th year, TOPSS is the voice of high school psychology teachers within APA. Through APA’s Education Directorate, TOPSS offers teaching materials, professional development, the Psychology Teacher Network quarterly newsletter and programs for high school psychology teachers and students. There are approximately 2,000 APA high school teacher affiliates in APA. Psychology continues to be a popular high school course, with nearly 312,000 students taking the Advanced Placement (AP) psychology exam in 2018, an increase of more than 9,000 over the previous year. In 2018 there were nearly 22,000 students worldwide who took the International Baccalaureate (IB) psychology exam. On-level and other psychology courses are also taught at the high school level.

TOPSS’s mission is to promote the highest standards in the teaching of psychology as a science and discipline; promote professional development and other means for lifelong learning for high school teachers of psychology; facilitate networking among teachers from all teaching levels of psychology; encourage recruitment and retention of students in the field of psychology; enhance the visibility and legitimacy of high school psychology; and recommend the appropriate advocacy, education policy and certification issues that impact the quality or visibility of teaching of high school psychology. Learn more about TOPSS here and on its Facebookopens in new window page.