We are writing to express our support and gratitude to the School Board and administration for their recent decision to add a new Honors English class for 10th graders at Piedmont High School. This is an important step toward addressing a long-standing equity gap between STEM and humanities course offerings at the secondary level.
Piedmont students with interests and talents in STEM have had early access to advanced coursework beginning in 6th grade with compression math and continuing in 10th grade with advanced science courses. By contrast, students whose strengths lie in the humanities (reading, writing, history, and the arts) have had to wait until their junior year for comparable rigor and depth in their PHS classes. The addition of an Honors English course for 10th graders begins to correct this imbalance.
We are encouraged by ongoing conversations between district administrators and teachers about adding an advanced history option, such as AP Modern World History, for 10th graders. We sincerely hope that an accelerated history course can be added for the 2026/27 school year.
While we share concerns about our high school students feeling pressure to take too many advanced classes to be competitive for college admissions, the current proposal is about choice and equity – ensuring that humanities-focused students have some earlier access to advanced coursework that STEM students have long enjoyed.
Thank you for your thoughtful leadership on this important issue and for your continued dedication to all of our students.
With appreciation,
Abha Kothari & Arvind Seshan
Alan & Allison Hampton
Alissa & John Welch
Amy Vallerie
Angela & Joe Anastasi
Benjamin Strub & Sabrina Seal
Blair & Kevin Paige
Corey McCarthy
Courtney & Mark Azad
Erick & Allie Rasmus Dean
Esti Iturralde & Will Rogan
Evren & Jonathan Essner
Jake Sorensen & Anne Hawkins
Katie & Dirk Van Den Bos
Laura Maestrelli & Dustin Frazier
Linda & Andrew Wendel
Meredith Fowlie
Michele Kwok & Albert Tong
Michelle Yang & Ray Guo
Naomi Edelson & CJ Evans
Sarah Bell
Yulia Rozen & Daniel Levinsohn
Sara Ironside
Liz Cha
Diana Lee & Roger Tsai