Ryan Mahoney's psychology class centers around the practice of primary research and data evaluation based on statistical analysis. The description sounds more like a college course, but in fact, Mahoney teaches AP psychology, as well as several other psychology and social studies courses to 9th- through 12th-grade students at Southwest High School in Lincoln, NE. Mahoney himself developed the school's psychology curriculum and is known for his captivating classroom style as he shares it with his students.
Mahoney's students have one of the highest mean scores in the school on Advanced Placement (AP) exams, a 90 percent success rate of three or higher. Mahoney uses an electronic interactive performance system to provide immediate feedback on class comprehension, illuminating students' areas of need quickly and giving Mahoney the tools to adapt class lessons to accommodate student needs. As director of his department's professional learning committee, Mahoney also presents district- and building-level staff development on methods to measure and improve student achievement.
Mahoney is in great demand by students both in and out of the classroom. As such, he makes himself available to students and parents before and after school, and even on weekends. As the school's championship track team coach, Mahoney goes the extra mile in many ways. In athletics, he makes sure his track team is on top of their workouts, and in the classroom, he sends emails and text messages to parents about each student's progress.
1998 University of Nebraska - Lincoln, B.S.
