Township Resident Selected to Work in Office of U.S. Education Secretary

Teaneck resident Maryann Woods-Murphy has been selected to serve at the U.S. Department of Education’s headquarters as part of a federal fellowship program, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced earlier this month.

Woods-Murphy, a resident who teaches at Northern Highlands Regional High School, was one of 16 teachers selected for the national fellowship and only one of five in the group who will work full-time in Education Department's Washington headquarters, according to a press release. She will spend time working with top U.S. officials under the 2011-2012 Teaching Ambassador Fellows program. 

“I am committed to listening to teachers’ voices as we work to develop policies that will support reform and strengthen the teaching profession,” Duncan said in the release. “Since I’ve come to Washington, I’ve come to rely on the Teaching Ambassador Fellows for their invaluable feedback and their ability to facilitate dialogue with teachers across the country. I look forward to working closely with this year’s Teaching Ambassadors, particularly as we work to fix the No Child Left Behind Act.”

The 16 Fellows were selected out of nearly 750 applications from every state, the release said. Woods-Murphy will work on labor and management issues in the Office of the Secretary.

In 2009, Woods-Murphy was named New Jersey Teacher of the Year.