July 14, 2004
O'Connell Congratulates Four California Teachers Chosen
as State Finalists for 2004 Presidential Teaching Awards
SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell congratulated four outstanding California teachers who have been selected by a national panel to be state finalists for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).
Gladys Hancock and Valerie Rose Piver are the math finalists. Katrina Williams and Mary Louise Woolf are the science finalists. They now are all eligible to receive the nation's highest honor for math and science teachers of kindergarten through grade twelve. One math and one science teacher from these groups of finalists from around the country may be chosen as recipients of the Presidential Award.
"The outstanding work of these teachers should serve as a model to help all California students continue on their five year track record of improved achievement," said O'Connell. "Their dedication to quality math and science instruction demonstrates that excellence involves rigorous coursework that will better prepare students for college or the work force."
Staying on the five-year track record of improving student academic achievement, increasing rigor in student coursework, as well as reducing the bureaucratic burden of filing paperwork for the state's local education agencies, are part of O'Connell's reform efforts that he announced during his State of Education address last February. For more information, please visit State of Education - Initiatives.
Hancock teaches kindergarten at Wayside Elementary School, Bakersfield City Elementary School District in Bakersfield. Hancock has taught in three states since 1981, and has received seven honors for demonstrating excellence in teaching math.
Valerie Rose Piver is a third-grade teacher at Hillview Crest Elementary School, New Haven Unified School District in Hayward. Piver has taught multiple subjects since 1974 in Hayward, and has received two honors for demonstrating excellence in teaching math.
Katrina Williams is a fourth-grade teacher at Steinbeck Elementary School, Central Unified School District in Fresno. Williams has taught since 1983 and has received three honors for demonstrating excellence in teaching science.
Mary Louise Woolf is a second-grade teacher at McKinley Elementary School, Central Unified School District in Fresno. She has taught since 1970 and received two honors for demonstrating excellence in teaching.
Each year, a national panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians, and educators recommends as many as 108 teachers nationwide to receive the Presidential Award. The nominees include one math teacher and one science teacher from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, United States territories, and the schools operated in the United States and overseas by the Department of Defense Education Agency. Teachers selected as Presidential Awardees receive a $10,000 award, a citation from the President of the United States, and a paid trip to Washington, D.C. for a series of recognition events, information exchange programs, and an awards ceremony. For more information on the Presidential Awards program, including the 2005 nomination and application forms for teachers of grades seven through twelve, go to the PAEMST Web site at Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching [http:/www.paemst.org] (Outside Source).
The four California finalists and the 2003 Presidential Awardees will be recognized at a fall meeting of the State Board of Education. They also will receive a plaque signed by both O'Connell and State Board of Education President Ruth Green.
