Lake Park High School has the distinction as one of only nine school districts in Illinois and 120 school districts nationwide accepted to the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate (AP/IB) Equity & Excellence Project. This partnership, supported by the Google Global Impact Awards and the Education Innovation Laboratory at Harvard University, provides match-funded technical assistance to help close the achievement gap and ensure students of every background have opportunity and access to a rigorous education.

This week during Physical Education classes, all students participated in a brief survey conducted jointly by Lake Park and Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS). The purpose of the survey was to learn more about the perceptions of the existing AP programs; uncover attitudes about college readiness and college aspirations; reveal causes of equity issues; identify students who have the potential to benefit from increased academic challenge; and gather information about current resources and supports for students and staff. Maximizing student input (grades 9 through 12) helps identify access barriers and increases the likelihood of enhancing Lake Park's current AP program.

Each spring our Lancers continue to challenge themselves, and the impressive results reveal their college-readiness. In May 2015, the number of students taking AP exams totaled 852, up from 802 students in 2014. They took 1,438 exams in 26 different subject areas. Students with scores of 3 or higher represent 81.6 percent.

Our quality AP results reflect the staff commitment to teaching and student commitment to learning. Lake Park was proud to share our best practices and strategies during a national AP conference this summer in Austin, Texas. West Campus Principal Janet Constien and three curriculum leaders representing English, Social Studies and Career and Technical Education presented: "Unconventional Wisdom: Increasing Enrollment While Increasing AP Success."

Results from the staff and student surveys will be available within two weeks, thereby helping the district to use data and analysis for outreach and focused identification of current grade 10 and 11 underrepresented students. The EOS model will help Lake Park to reduce barriers, create equitable enrollment for underrepresented students in 2016, and develop a plan of sustainability for student and staff success.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our academic initiatives. The momentum of the Equity & Excellence Project is growing, and I look forward to sharing future outcomes with our school community throughout the year.