College Board President’s Letter, Prompted by School Shooting, Sparks Criticism

This article has been updated (2/22/2018, 11 a.m.) with a statement from the College Board.

“Astoundingly tone-deaf.”

“Tacky and self-serving.”

“Overt product placement.”

Those were some of the milder reactions to the message David Coleman, the College Board’s president, sent to the organization’s members on Wednesday.

The email, written in response to the fatal shootings last week at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, began with a nod to the power of words. But by the end of the day, Coleman’s own words had drawn strong criticism on social media, where the collective response was a mix of bafflement and scorn.

Here’s why. In the email, Coleman referred to a recent speech by Emma Gonzalez, a senior at Stoneman Douglas. “One of the things that makes Emma’s speech so striking is that it is infused with references to her AP Government class,” Coleman wrote. “At a time of utmost passion, she insists that she has been trained in evidence.” (“Evidence” is a key word within the College Board’s Advanced Placement Program, as well the Common Core State Standards, which Coleman helped design.)

In the email, Coleman also described another Stoneman Douglas student’s reflections on the importance of journalism, something he reportedly had learned about in an AP U.S. History class: The student’s words, Coleman wrote, “honor Advanced Placement teachers everywhere, for they reflect their power to open worlds and futures to students.”

Was this really the right moment to applaud the AP Program and its loyal servants? Don’t non-AP teachers have the power to open worlds and futures, too? And why — many folks wondered on social media — did Coleman appear to critique Gonzalez’s speech, including the views the teenager had expressed on gun control? (“Her speech,” he wrote, “may have benefited from a less-partisan approach and an attempt to better understand the positions of gun-rights proponents.”)

On Thursday morning a College Board spokesman sent The Chronicle a written statement: “This past week, our hearts have ached for the students, educators, and families in Broward County. The purpose of our letter to members was to put the focus on the remarkable students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and to share their voices. We sincerely apologize that our words have taken the focus away from the needs of their community at this terrible time.”

Here are some of the critical responses that popped up on Twitter:

Eric Hoover writes about admissions trends, enrollment-management challenges, and the meaning of Animal House, among other issues. He’s on Twitter @erichoov, and his email address is eric.hoover@chronicle.com.