Students and Educators Campaign for First-Ever AP U.S. Women’s History Course

A grassroots movement led by students and educators at Sacred Heart Preparatory (SHP) is reaching critical milestones in its mission to establish the first-ever Advanced Placement (AP) United States Women’s History course. Known as “WAPUSH,” the campaign seeks to address a significant gap in the College Board’s current offerings by centering the diverse experiences and contributions of women throughout American history.

The initiative, led by veteran social studies teachers Kristen Kelly and Serene Williams, began four years ago through a Harvard teaching grant and extensive research at the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America. “Women’s contributions to society are overlooked in current AP courses,” said Williams. “Young people deserve to understand the importance of women’s impact on history and politics.”

The momentum behind WAPUSH has surged over the past year. Recently, the campaign reached a major milestone: securing 100 letters of support from universities nationwide. This achievement is a vital step toward official College Board adoption, as it indicates that higher education institutions are ready to accept the course for college credit.

The campaign stands apart because of its significant student leadership. SHP seniors have presented the proposal at prestigious national forums, including the National Council of Social Studies conference and the College Board conference in Las Vegas. Students have also engaged in original feminist research, creating 16 Wikipedia pages for historically significant women through the "Women in Red" project and documenting the California women’s suffrage movement.

A new cornerstone of the campaign is the WAPUSH Oral Interview Project. Students have conducted and transcribed 28 interviews with influential scholars and activists, such as Feminist Majority Foundation President Eleanor Smeal and UC Berkeley Professor Dr. Bonnie Morris.

“Through the WAPUSH oral interview project, I’ve been given the opportunity to learn from and be in conversation with so many brilliant and fascinating people, in addition to doing real, hands-on historical work,” said SHP senior Brooke Soderbery.

The necessity of the course is echoed by student Emily Xiao, who noted, “Out of the many figures high schoolers needed to learn about in the AP United States History course, only a handful were women. I wanted to know more.”

Looking ahead, the WAPUSH team is working toward its next goal: gathering 250 letters of support from high schools willing to offer the course. Their efforts will soon be featured in a documentary filmed at Harvard and slated for publication by the Radcliffe Institute later this spring.

As the campaign gains national traction through WAPUSH.org, coverage in outlets like Ms. Magazine and The 19th News, and an upcoming documentary to be released this spring by Radcliffe Institute, the goal remains clear. “It's crucial for empowering girls—so they feel represented and realize they have the power to influence change,” says SHP alumna Samantha Pyle (SHP ’25).

For more information, visit WAPUSH.org. View SHP’s own documentary about the campaign here.