Essex County’s Latest ‘Teacher Of Year’ Is A Poet From Newark

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — State education officials have named a bilingual English teacher from Newark as Essex County’s latest “Teacher of the Year.”

On Tuesday, the New Jersey Department of Education announced that 21 local educators have been named as county representatives for the 2026-2027 school year. An overall state teacher of the year will be chosen this fall.

This year, top honors in Essex County went to Carla Ferreira, a high school teacher in the Newark Public School District.

Ferreira is a poet and daughter of Portuguese immigrants, who has taught English language learners in France, California and New Jersey. Now in her 10th year of teaching, Ferreira has returned to her hometown community of the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark to teach ninth-grade English and bilingual English and Portuguese during the inaugural year of the Newark School of Architecture and Interior Design.

“I love teaching because each day is an opportunity to learn from my students and help them develop the skills to create a more just and inclusive future,” Ferreira said.

The New Jersey Department of Education shared some background details about Ferreira and her work in the classroom:

• PUBLISHED POET - "Carla Ferreira received a bachelor's degree in English (magna cum laude) from Harvard College, a master of philosophy in English from the University of Cambridge, a degree in education from Stanford University, and a degree in creative writing from Rutgers University-Newark. She later published her Cambridge dissertation on Walt Whitman and T. S. Eliot… Carla has designed and delivered professional development on Socratic seminars and the ethics of artificial intelligence. She is also the author of the 2024 poetry collection, ‘A Geography That Does Not Hurt Us,’ published by River River Books. In 2019, Carla co-edited ‘No Tender Fences: An Anthology of Immigrant and First-Generation American Poetry,’ which raised more than $2,000 for the immigrant rights organization Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services-Texas."
• OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM - "Beyond the classroom, [Ferreira] advises the school newspaper and encourages students to read closely and ask thoughtful questions in and outside of class. Carla is trained in restorative justice practices, equipping students with the skills to navigate conflict, build meaningful connections, and engage thoughtfully with the world around them. She is defined by her belief that teaching is a practice of community and care, grounded in rigorous learning, close attention, and respect for every student's voice and experience."

“New Jersey’s success depends on the strength of our public schools and the tireless commitment of the educators who show up every day for our kids,” Gov. Mikie Sherrill said.

“The 21 county teachers of the year who are being recognized today represent the very best of this profession,” Sherrill said. “Their commitment to helping students learn, grow, and achieve their goals strengthens communities across our state and helps ensure a brighter future for New Jersey.”

Previous winners in Essex County have included:

• David Coster, a math and engineering teacher in Cedar Grove, earned a nod in 2020-2021
• Theresa Maughan, a social studies teacher in East Orange, took home the award in 2021-2022
• Kristen Dunleavy, a special education teacher in West Orange, won the award in 2022-2023
• Shamshadeen Mayers, a social studies teacher at Bloomfield High School, captured the award in 2023-2024
• El Houcin Houssam, a math teacher at West Side High School in Newark, earned the award in 2024-2025
• Andrew Vander Horn, a social studies teacher at Cedar Grove High School, won the award in 2025-2026

Individual schools select “Teachers of the Year,” who are eligible to apply for “County Teacher of the Year” through the Governor’s Educator of the Year Program, a long-running initiative that recognizes outstanding teachers and educational services professionals.

See the full list for 2026-2027 here.

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