New York, NY, June 12, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A panel of judges has selected ten semifinalist schools that will now vie for Teaching Matters’ $25,000 Elizabeth Rohatyn Prize for Schools Where Teaching Matters.
Each year since 2010, the prize has supported principals’ efforts to boost effective teaching in their buildings. P.S. 009 Sarah Anderson Principal Katherine Witzke, last year’s winner and a current judge, says, “The award was just what we needed – it lifted our capacity to implement internal inter-visitations effectively and productively. It gave our teachers the latitude and opportunity to work together creatively and efficiently.”
The 2017 semifinalists, chosen from a pool of applicants within a 100 mile radius of New York City, come from all five boroughs in New York City and other urban districts in Pennsylvania, upstate New York and New Jersey. Public voting will determine who advances to the finalist round, and from whom the one winner is ultimately selected by the judges.
Each principal’s application included details about the work the school would pursue with the prize money. Summaries of the 2017 applicants’ initiatives appear on the online ballot for public voting. This year’s submissions feature: ways of expanding the network of teacher leaders in the school, a video-based teacher mentor pilot, intensive lesson study and in-depth inquiry using a school-developed database of students’ learning gaps.
After careful deliberation, the following semi-finalists (listed in alphabetical order) were chosen to advance:
- Principal Donna Anaman – P.S. 87 Bronx, NY
- Principal Berena Cabarcas – International Community High School/334 Bronx, NY
- Principal Geraldine DeCarlo – Oceanside High School Oceanside, NY
- Principal Angela DeFilippis – Brooklyn Science and Engineering Academy/763 Brooklyn, NY
- Principal Vincent Gassetto – Academy of Applied Technology and Mathematics/343 Bronx, NY
- Principal Johanie Hernandez – Bronx School for Law, Government and Justice/505 Bronx, NY
- Principal Maria Herrera – Renaissance High School for Musical Theater & Technology/293 Bronx, NY
- Principal Doris Lee – Village Academy/319 Queens, NY
- Principal Mary McInerney – The Richard H. Hungerford School/P721 Staten Island, NY
- Principal Phoebe Robinson – P.S. 253 Queens, NY
This year, several applicant schools were cited for honorable mention:
- Principal Patricia Bentley – CIS 303 Bronx, NY
- Principal Christina Catalona – P.S./I.S. 266 Queens, NY
- Principal Alexandra Hernandez – Multicultural High School/583 Brooklyn, NY
- Principal Laura Mastrogiovanni – M.S 137 America’s School of Heroes Queens, NY
- Principal Kelly Nepogoda – I.S. 5 - The Walter Crowley Intermediate School Queens, NY
- Principal Jessica Rooney – People's Preparatory Charter School Newark, NJ
After the public voting has determined the five finalists, the selection committee will choose the Rohatyn Prize winner to be announced on July 19th.
Selection Committee members include:
- Mike Ford, past President, Learning Forward
- Maura Langan, Teacher Leader/Gates Fellow at PS 360, Bronx, NY
- Britt Neuhaus, Program Officer, Innovative Schools, Overdeck Foundation
- Jennifer Tuten, Associate Professor of Literacy Education, Hunter College
- Katherine Witzke, Principal, PS 9, Winner of Elizabeth Rohatyn Prize 2016
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Teaching Matters is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing teacher effectiveness, one of the most critical factors in student success. Our services transform how educators work together at urban public schools, helping the most effective teachers develop the skills they need to lead their peers and drive school-wide improvement. We also partner with school leadership to create a work environment that equips teachers to succeed in the classroom. From more than 20 years of working in New York City’s public schools, we’ve developed an understanding of realistic and lasting ways to improve student outcomes, and we’re committed to real, measurable results. Visit www.teachingmatters.org to learn more about how we’re making a difference for students and teachers at public schools.
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f4a7e237-416c-4865-a242-f639bb3efdd1
Attachments:
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/032a0568-48cd-47e0-b193-cbc853b3ae7e