Harford schools receive grant for AP courses

We learned today that two Harford County high schools have been selected for a federal grant program to expand Advanced Placement courses for students in military families. Havre de Grace and Aberdeen High Schools will be the only two schools in Maryland so far to benefit from this terrific public-private initiative funded by the Department of Defense and Boeing.

The program aims to increase the number of students enrolled (and receiving qualifying scores) in college-level math, science and English classes in schools that serve a high concentration of military families. Qualifying scores on AP exams in participating schools increased by 45 percent in the first year of the program, according to College Board.

This morning, I was represented at a kick-off event at the Harford County Public Schools administration building in Bel Air, where students Monique Watson (Havre de Grace) and Morgan Sulzbach (Aberdeen) spoke about life during their fathers’ deployment. Monique said her brother no longer recognized their dad when he returned from overseas.

When troops are called to serve, families serve too. On top of saying goodbye to parents, children of military families are often transitioning into new neighborhoods, new schools, new friends, new sports teams. We owe it to these students to provide them with quality, consistent education, and I congratulate all those involved in this program who share this goal.