As sophomores are introduced to taking history classes, they are required to take World History. Currently, their options offered here at Wilcox, and a few other high schools in the district, include World History itself and one of the first AP classes that are available to them, AP European History. Earlier this year, a decision was made by the Santa Clara School District to replace AP European History with AP World History. This change will take effect in 2027-2028 at Wilcox specifically. 

AP World History will cover events from a broad range of regions while still including aspects of European history. Students will learn about different concepts and systems from a variety of civilizations (similar to trade, migration, beliefs, etc.) The class will be similar to World History, but being an AP class, students are introduced to the workload and depth of information of a college-level course and will take the AP exam at the end of the year. 

By adding AP World History into the curriculum, the idea is to encourage students to enroll into an AP class by introducing topics that may interest them. Mr. Baldwin, the director of Secondary Education for the Santa Clara School District explains, “The decision to transition from AP European History to AP World History reflects our commitment to expanding equitable access to advanced coursework while ensuring that our classes better reflect the diversity of our student body.” Since the class will cover different cultures from around the world, it allows students to make personal connections with the content they learn, as there are possibilities they can learn about their own background. Mr. Baldwin has also observed that, “National and state trends show globally framed courses tend to attract a broader range of students, support greater participation from historically underrepresented groups, and encourage later enrollment in AP classes in later years.” Again, this will be one of the first AP classes offered to future incoming sophomores, so introducing an AP class that is more engaging to students early on can motivate them to enroll in more. 

Although this decision technically will not affect current students, Freshman Stella Lee, believes adding AP World History will be helpful for students as she states, “Replacing AP World with AP Euro would not greatly benefit students as they [would] only understand European history and not know major events that could relate to today’s society.” The class itself will allow students to apply their knowledge in their own lives, as they learn about different heritages they may encounter. 

Additionally, Freshmen Paree Patel, viewing the situation from both a positive and negative angle shared, “AP World may appear more challenging because it covers a wider range of material.” Despite the fact that AP World History does cover more regions, it may not go into much depth for each unit, but the idea of it can intimidate students. Patel also expressed that, “In my opinion, learning about the world’s history is more beneficial… since students gain a broader understanding of the world in which they live.” 

Mr. Soykin, an AP European History teacher at Wilcox, expressed sadness towards the removal of the class: “I’ve dedicated the past 14 years to molding the class into one that helps students hone their reading, writing, and analysis skills, and it’s sad to see all of that disappear.” Although AP European History primarily focuses on history, students are given the opportunity to gain support to improve in a variety of skills. While AP World History will also prioritize helping students to improve, it may be different starting fresh and focusing on different events. Mr. Soykin adds, “[The course] covers very significant topics…including a number of topics that laid the foundations of western government, philosophy, art, and science.” 

Overall, the decision to replace AP European History with AP World History has sparked mixed reactions from students and staff at Wilcox. Even so, the new class will still offer the experience of taking an AP class regardless of whether it interests future students or not. Mr. Soykin acknowledges, “I’m glad that both classes focus on similar skill sets, as I think either class will be an important stepping stone for future AP social science classes.”