Teacher of the Year Award
Teacher of the Year Nomination Form
2024-2025
The 2024-2025 California Teacher of the Year Program is now open. Please fill out the webform at the bottom of this post. The deadline to submit a Teacher of the Year Nomination is February 21, 2024.
Background
The 2024-2025 California Teacher of the Year Program is now open and seeks nomination of pre-kindergarten through grade 12 teachers, including adult education teachers if they are providing in-struction in the same curriculum as those who teach in elementary or secondary grades. Teachers who have some administrative responsibilities are also eligible; however, teaching must be their primary responsibility. All teachers who qualify must have at least seven years of teaching experience.
The California Teacher of the Year Program actively encourages applicants that fully represent the diverse ethnic and cultural composition of our state’s teaching force, as well as of its varied geographical settings. Teachers are eligible to go on to county, state, and national competition. The program seeks teachers with exemplary personal growth, commitment, personal attitude, and professional skills.
The California Teacher of the Year Program celebrates and pays special tribute to the tireless efforts of our state’s outstanding teachers. In doing so, the program brings well-deserved recognition to the whole teaching profession.
The program’s goals are to:
- identify and honor outstanding teachers throughout California within a structure of local, regional, and statewide recognition activities;
- select, for special commendation and responsibility, five teachers who will effectively represent California teachers during the year, speaking for, energizing, and symbolizing the positive contributions of the teaching profession statewide;
- focus attention on the positive accomplishments of students and teachers throughout California; and
- emphasize maintaining and improving student achievement.
Within this context, the Sacramento City Unified School District is seeking nominations of outstanding educators from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 and adult education to be Teacher of the Year. Two teachers will be selected as the Teacher of the Year and will be eligible to represent the district in the County Teacher of the Year competition. Teachers who have been selected as Teacher of the Year cannot be nominated again for five years.
As a member of our district staff, or as a parent or community member, you are cordially invited to nominate a teacher for this award. Once nominated, teachers will be invited to respond to several essay questions. The responses to these questions will be evaluated by a panel of district representatives and community members, who will then recommend a smaller number of candidates for an interview. Finalists will then be selected for site visits.
Thank you for your interest in the 2024-25 California Teacher of the Year Program!
The deadline to submit a Teacher of the Year Nomination is February 21, 2024.
Selection Process
- A nomination is submitted on behalf of the teacher.
- Candidates are then asked to respond to a series of essay questions that speak to their passion for teaching, their ability to differentiate instruction to meet students’ needs, ways in which they provide equitable learning experiences for all the students in their class, specific strategies they utilize that directly affect student achievement, and how they connect with and support their school community.
- These responses are screened by the Teacher of the Year Committee.
- Selected candidates are then asked to interview.
- Classroom observations take place for those candidates selected.
- Two teachers are then chosen to represent the District in the County Teacher of the Year selection process.
Online Application
SCUSD announces 2013 Teachers of the Year
The pair – a math teacher and a social studies teacher -- will represent the district in Sacramento County’s competition
June 21, 2013 (Sacramento) – Stephanie Cook and Reza Mahvi have been named Sacramento City Unified School District 2013 Teachers of the Year.
Adult Education “Teacher of the Year” Named
Parvin Keyanpour, an Adult Education Parent Participation Preschool teacher at Edward Kelley Preschool, has been named SCUSD’s Adult Education Teacher of the Year. Ms. Keyanpour has been working as a preschool teacher in Adult Education for 20 years. Her commitment to the program goes beyond the classroom. She also maintains the history and life around Edward Kelley School. Ms. Keyanpour is a mentor, leader and friend for other teachers in the program, caring for their needs in and out of the classroom. On February 28, Mary Shelton and Dr. Susan Gilmore surprised her at Edward Kelley with the announcement and presented her with balloons.
2008-2009 Sacramento City Unified School District Teachers of the Year
Teacher finds niche in intensive intervention classes
In her senior year of high school, Tiffany Wilson’s parents were in a terrible auto accident that required them to be hospitalized for most of that school year. On her birthday, with her parents in the hospital, Wilson’s English teacher, Mary Ann Paul, baked her a carrot cake.
It was just a carrot cake, but the simple act of kindness turned Tiffany Wilson away from her childhood aspirations to be a scientist and toward her current career as an educator.
2004-2005 Sacramento County Teacher of the Year Carol Cleland
Although Cleland currently teaches a 3rd grade GATE class, she’s taught every level from first through fifth. In the essay she submitted for the competition, Cleland stated, “I love teaching elementary grades because I am able to re-discover all of my favorite subjects including math, science, reading, writing and history. This age group enables me to stay young at heart.”
2006-2007 Sacramento City Unified School District Teachers of the Year
About Clayton Dagler:
In ninth grade, Clayton Dagler’s math teacher told him that he
shouldn’t aspire to higher level math classes. Maybe the teacher
was trying to do Dagler a favor. After all, the teenager did
suffer from dyslexia and had a hard time in the class.
Instead, that demeaning comment had the opposite effect, giving Dagler the motivation to prove his teacher wrong. Instead of quitting math, Dagler continued to take higher level classes, eventually graduating from UC Davis with a mathematics degree.
2005-2006 Sacramento City Unified School District Teachers of the Year
The next National Teacher of the Year could very well be one of the two outstanding teachers selected this year to represent Sac City in the first phase of the Teacher of the Year competition.
Jennifer Hughes, an instructor for eight years, teaches a split first/second grade class at John Bidwell Elementary School.
With ten years in the classroom, Michael Holt teaches eighth grade at California Middle.
2004-2005 Sacramento County Teacher of the Year Asa Salley
Asa was also selected as Sacramento County Teacher of the Year.
Seven years ago, Asa Salley began his teaching career at John Bidwell. He is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Multicultural Education. Salley continues to share his knowledge with other educators by presenting at conferences, and was a guest lecturer at UC Davis on “closing the achievement gap.” “I try to take advantage of any opportunity to improve my teaching so I can give my students the very best of myself,” he said.