DoD Education Activity Teachers Earn National Honors

From a Department of Defense Education Activity News Release

ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 10, 2015 – Two Department of Defense Education Activity teachers are national awardees of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

President Barack Obama named 108 mathematics and science teachers as recipients of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching earlier this week.

Among them are Ryan Goodfellow, a mathematics and science teacher at Vilseck American High School in Germany in 2013; and Jennifer Wilson, a mathematics teacher at Andersen Middle School in Guam in 2013.

Goodfellow is now an instructional systems specialist for the Mediterranean District, and Wilson, a military spouse, is no longer a DoDEA employee.

The national winners represent all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, and DoDEA.

Selected by Scientists, Mathematicians, Educators

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching are awarded annually to outstanding K-12 science and mathematics teachers from across the country. The 2013 winners were selected by a panel of scientists, mathematicians and educators following an initial selection process done at the state level.

Each year, the award alternates between teachers teaching kindergarten through 6th grade and those teaching 7th through 12th grades. The 2013 national winners teach 7th through 12th grade.

Obama is emphasizing education in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM, fields.

Winners of this presidential honor receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation to be used at their discretion. They also are invited to Washington for an awards ceremony that will take place later this summer.

“Competence in STEM, especially proficiency in mathematics and science gained in grades K–12, forms the foundation of an educated, capable, and technical future workforce,” said Adrian Talley, DoDEA’s principal deputy director and associate director for education. “It is exciting to see our teachers recognized on a national level for bringing innovation and forward thinking into our schools.”

DoDEA plans, directs, coordinates, and manages pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education programs for school-age children of Defense Department personnel who otherwise would not have access to high-quality public education. DoDEA schools are located in Europe, the Pacific, Western Asia, the Middle East, Cuba, the United States, Guam, and Puerto Rico. DoDEA also provides support and resources to local educational agencies throughout the United States that serve children of military families.