Wisconsin teachers receive Presidential Awards

Probing questions that require students to think about their own learning are teaching skills that link Dana Krejcarek and Michelle Parks, Wisconsin's 2005 recipients of Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Krejcarek of Fond du Lac, a science and chemistry teacher from the Kohler School District, and Parks of Altoona, an eighth-grade teacher and mathematics department chair for Northstar Middle School in Eau Claire, traveled to Washington, D.C., May 1-6 for Recognition Week activities. Events will include professional development sessions and honors at a variety of ceremonies during Recognition Week. In addition, Presidential Teaching Award recipients receive $10,000 from the National Science Foundation.

"These educators bring passion to their teaching," said State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster. "Their classrooms are laboratories of learning, where students gain a deep understanding through challenging lessons that encourage individual discovery."

As nominees for the Presidential Teaching Awards program, Krejcarek and Parks submitted a videotaped lesson, written responses to questions about their instructional practice, sample student work, and a resume of their background and experience. A national committee reporting to the White House and the National Science Foundation judged state-level finalists and selected one teacher of mathematics and one of science to receive the Presidential Teaching Awards.

Krejcarek and Parks were among six state finalists for Presidential Teaching Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching from Wisconsin, selected last summer. The others are Wanda Bussey, Rufus King High School in Milwaukee, and Margaret Hartwig, Marshfield High School, for mathematics; and Nancy AufderHeide of Oshkosh, Einstein Middle School in Appleton, and Sue Whitsett of Oshkosh, Fond du Lac High School, for science.

Established by Congress in 1983, the annual Presidential Teaching Awards program identifies outstanding mathematics and science teachers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Territories, and the U.S. Department of Defense Schools. This year's recipients—chosen by a panel of leading mathematicians, scientists, and educators in conjunction with the White House—are middle and high school teachers in grades 7-12. Nomination forms and additional program information for future awards can be found on at http://www.paemst.org/page.cfm?pageID=3.

Last updated on 5/09/2006