Presidential Awards for Excellence In Mathematics and Science Teaching
The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching
(PAEMST) is the nation's highest commendation for K-12 math and science
teachers. It recognizes a combination of sustained and exemplary work,
both in, and outside of, the classroom. Each award includes a grant of
$7,500 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to the recipient's school.
Awardees use the money at their discretion to promote math and science
education. They also receive an expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.,
during which each receives a citation signed by the President. Awardees
also attend seminars and engage in professional discussions with their
peers and with national legislators and education policy-makers. Each
awardee also receives a selection of gifts from private-sector contributors
to the program.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. What are the PAEMST selection criteria?
A. The program is open to practicing public-, private-, and parochial-school
teachers with a minimum of five years of experience. Candidates are then
chosen on the basis of their teaching performance, their background, and
their experience. This includes an evaluation of their formal education
and continuing educational experience as well as professional and other
activities related to their teaching.
Applicants are asked to demonstrate how their teaching enables students
to learn important math and science processes and concepts and to give
examples of how they assess student learning. They must also provide letters
of support for their application from colleagues; current or former students;
parents of current or former students; or their supervisors.
Q. How are recipients selected?
A. Awardees are selected from those eligible teachers who have completed
an application, obtained from NSF or from the science or math coordinator
at their state education department. Applicants provide documentation
of their background and evidence of professional success to state selection
committees of their peers. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
(NCTM) oversees state selection procedures in math, and the Council of
State Science Supervisors (CSSS) oversees those in science
The committees choose six math teachers (three elementary, three secondary)
and six science teachers (three elementary, three secondary). These 12
state-level finalists are recognized by the national program and in their
individual states or political jurisdictions. All 12 of these teachers
are candidates for the presidential award. One science and one math teacher
at each level are recommended as presidential awardees by a national selection
committee of distinguished scientists, mathematicians, and educators.
The White House makes the official announcement.
Q. What are the citizenship requirements for nominees?
A. Applicants must be U.S. citizens who teach in one of the 50 states,
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Department of Defense Dependent
Schools, or the U.S. territories of Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth
of Northern Marianas, or the Virgin Islands.
Q. When was PAEMST established?
A. Former President Ronald Reagan signed into law a measure establishing
the program in 1983 (P.L. 98-377). The law was amended in 1988 to include
elementary teachers (P.L. 100-570). The teacher enhancement program of
NSF's Division of Elementary, Secondary and Informal Education administers
the program for the White House.
Q. How many recipients are honored this year?
A. There are 102 elementary and 106 secondary recipients this year chosen
from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Department
of Defense schools, and the U.S. territories.
For more information, contact: Presidential Award for Excellence in
Mathematics and Science Teaching, Directorate for Education and Human
Resources, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington,
VA 22230; tel.: (703) 306-0422; http://www.nsf.gov/PA.
Key Findings of the PAEMST Survey
In 1996, Horizon Research, Inc., surveyed 930 past winners of the Presidential
Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), comparing
them with a random national sample of 2,065 elementary math and science
teachers. Some of the salient differences listed here reveal dramatic
differences especially in teaching style and professional development:
PAEMST teachers rely far less than their peers on textbooks in their
teaching;
Only 17 percent of Presidential award-winning science teachers and 22
percent of award-winning math teachers of grades 1-6 said they consider
textbooks a "major influence" on what they teach. By contrast, 59 percent
of the national sample of science teachers and 79 percent of math teachers
overall felt that way.
PAEMST teachers are more academically prepared in their subjects;
Among award-winning teachers, more than 40 percent of science and 36
percent of math teachers either hold a degree or a college minor in their
respective fields, compared with only 7 percent of the national sample
of teachers.
PAEMST teachers devote far more time to lifelong learning and professional
activities;
More than 75 percent of award-winning math and science teachers spent
at least 35 hours in in-service education within the past three years,
compared with just 12 percent of the national comparison group. And awardees
were roughly nine times more likely to take part in professional activities
such as attending professional association meetings or teaching outside
workshops or courses for other teachers.
PAEMST teachers feel far more competent in their work than most teachers;
Seventy-two percent of science awardees said they have "strong control" in
setting curricular goals and objectives, compared with 30 percent of their
peers. Strong majorities of math and science awardees also said they have
strong control over selecting instructional material, teaching techniques,
and the pace of lessons.
PAEMST teachers tend to use more advanced classroom tools and techniques;
An overwhelming 93 percent of award-winning math teachers said they
were well aware of the NCTM standards, compared to the national sample's
10 percent. Award-winners indicated they were more inclined than their
peers to integrate math and science with other subjects. They were also
much more likely to endorse the use of computers and calculators, and
emphasize hands-on learning, problem-solving and reasoning over rote exercises
or standardized tests.
See also:
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