Whitnall High School Teacher Finalist for Presidential Award

Karen Blackburn of Waukesha, who teaches algebra and geometry at Whitnall High School, is a finalist for a Presidential Teaching Award, the nation's highest honor for mathematics and science teachers.

The awards recognize outstanding kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers for their contributions in the classroom and to their profession.

Blackburn is one of two Wisconsin finalists for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, along with Whitewater High School's Michael Tamblyn. Three other Wisconsin teachers are finalists for Presidential Teaching awards in science.

"These teachers have been singled out by their peers, parents, former students or school administrators as exceptional educators," State Superintendent Tony Evers said in a news release. "They represent the dedication of the many individuals who work with our students in Wisconsin classrooms throughout the school year. I congratulate them on being named state finalists and advancing in the Presidential Teaching Award competition."

Following nomination for Presidential Teaching Awards, each educator completed application materials that addressed how they meet certain teaching standards, including:

• mastery of content knowledge appropriate for the grade level taught
• use of instructional methods and strategies that are appropriate for students in the classroom and that support student learning
• effective use of assessment strategies to evaluate, monitor and improve student learning
• reflective practice and life-long learning to improve teaching and student learning
• leadership in education outside the classroom

Applications for the five finalists will be forwarded to the national level for judging b a committee organized by the National Science Foundation. The panel may select one teacher of mathematics and one of science to receive  Presidential Awards from each state and four U.S. jurisdictions.

In addition to recognition and professional development events in Washington, D.C., winners receive $10,000 and a citation signed by the president.